Democracy on the Line

Benjamin R. Warner is Professor of Communication and Director of the Political Communication Institute at the University of Missouri, USA. Along with Dianne G. Bystrom, Mitchell S. McKinney, and Mary C. Banwart, he is a co-editor of Democracy Disrupted: Communication in the Volatile 2020 Presidential Election (Bloomsbury, 2022) and An Unprecedented Election: Media, Communication, and the Electorate in the 2016 Campaign (2018). His research focuses on the polarizing effects of partisan media, new media echo-chambers, political campaigns, and presidential debates. Dianne G. Bystrom is Director Emerita of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, Iowa State University, USA. Her research focuses on the role of gender in political campaigns, primarily the self-presentation of female and male political candidates in their television ads and their coverage by the media.Mitchell S. McKinney is Professor of Communication and Dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences, University of Akron, USA. He is a leading scholar of presidential debates, having served as an adviser to the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates where his work was instrumental in developing the Town Hall debate format. Mary Christine Banwart is Professor of Communication Studies and Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, University of Kansas, USA. Her research focuses on political campaign communication and the role of gender in political campaigns.

• IntroductionPart One: The Candidates1. Feeding the Content Beast: The Demands of the Ubiquitous Presidency in Campaign 2024 Joshua M. Scacco (University of South Florida, USA) and Kevin Coe (University of Utah, USA) 2. From Worst to Best: Examining the Content and Effects of the 2024 Presidential DebatesMitchell S. McKinney (University of Akron, USA)3. The Battle Between Nationalist and Progressive PopulismRobert C. Rowland (University of Kansas, USA)4. Candidates as a Source of Mis- and Disinformation During the 2024 U.S. Presidential ElectionQin Li (University of Missouri, USA)5. Chapter 5: Red and Blue Bibles on the Campaign TrailBrian Kaylor (Independent Scholar, USA)6. Coconuts and Dad Jokes: Humor and Affect in the Biden to Harris Campaign Transition Calvin Coker, (University of Louisville, USA) and Michelle Funk (Pennsylvania State University, USA)Part Two: The Media7. She Said, He Said...and Did They Say It, Too? Comparing the Harris and Trump Political Ads and Media CoverageMary C. Banwart (University of Kansas, USA) and Dianne G. Bystrom (Iowa State University, USA)8. Digital and Legacy Media as Forces in the 2024 Presidential ElectionBenjamin R. Warner (University of Missouri, USA)9. Think Local: 2024 Election Coverage in Kansas, Missouri, and OklahomaAshley Muddiman (University of Kansas, USA)10. The Myth of the Spoiler: Political Containment of Third Parties in the 2024 Presidential ElectionRyan Neville-Shepard (University of Arkansas, USA)11. Neurodivergence and Politics: Press Coverage of Gus Walz at the Democratic National ConventionJoel Lansing Reed (University of Arkansas, USA), Evan Kirksey (University of Missouri, USA), Astrid M. Villamil (University of Missouri, USA), Scott E. Branton II (University of Arkansas, USA)Part 3: The Electorate12. Approaching Politics: Latino Perceptions of Media and Candidate Messaging in the Presidential ElectionAlcides Velasquez and Rikki Roscoe (University of Kansas, USA)13. From Playboys to Cat Ladies: Masculinity and Gender in the 2024 Presidential ElectionKelly L. Winfrey (Iowa State University, USA)14. Socializing Race and Politics in Black FamiliesXavier Scruggs (University of Missouri, USA)15. Do Vice Presidential Debates Matter? Implications on Polarization and Vote ChoiceFreddie Jennings (University of Arkansas, USA) and Jihye Park (University of Zurich, Switzerland)