The Dynamics of Issue Ownership in Presidential Campaigns

This effort examines the dynamics of the agenda-setting process in presidential campaigns by assessing the conditions that motivate candidates to discuss issues associated with their opponent’s party. The article’s argument contends that occurrences of issue trespassing are a function of the context in which a campaign is occurring and factors stemming from the campaign process. The hypotheses are tested against data collected from all available campaign advertisements produced by major party candidates competing in the 1976 through 1996 presidential elections. The results of the logit analysis indicate that candidates’ decisions to address issues owned by their opponent’s party are a function of their competitive standing, their partisanship, the importance of an issue to the electorate, and the tone of their campaign messages.