Presidential midterm campaign strategy and campaign visits

Abstract

Midterm elections in the United States are often seen as less important than presidential elections. This is evidenced by their lower turnout and the relative inattentiveness of the media. That the president campaigns is a well-known fact, but few scholars have sought to understand the strategy undertaken by the president in determining where to visit and where to stay away. In this thesis I propose that the president develops and implements a cohesive strategy for campaigning for or against incumbent Congressmen and Senators in midterm elections. First, the president takes into account the party of the incumbent, the office of the incumbent, and the contextual differences of the election year. Factors such as the competitiveness of the race, the president’s popularity, and the incumbent’s support of the president all influence the way the president makes his midterm campaign decisions.