The Delaware Way: The Effect of State Size on Campaign Strategies and Political Polarization in The First State
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2013
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
While political discourse seems increasingly vitriolic and divisive nationally, the conversation in Delaware appears exceptionally civil ‐‐ and often friendly ‐‐ among both political elites and average citizens, regardless of party affiliation. This research focuses on a possible connection between Delaware’s small size and its apparently low levels of political polarization. The potential effects of state size on campaign strategies employed by politicians, on the tone of campaign discourse, and ultimately on polarization among that state’s electorate are discussed. Additionally, this thesis evaluates what effect the availability of media markets has on the prevalence of campaign television advertisements, the tone of campaign discourse, and polarization among the electorate. While Delaware is the primary case study, its larger neighbor, Pennsylvania, serves as a comparative case study. Delaware’s small landmass and small population allow candidates and campaigns to travel throughout the state and capitalize on personal interactions with the public at small‐scale events, such as festivals and fairs. The study of campaign schedules and interviews with campaign staffers and candidates showed that both elite campaigns and smaller, local campaigns dedicated a majority of time and effort to glad‐handing events. Delaware is without its own media market, which makes television advertising impractical and prohibitively expensive. Instead of utilizing television advertising, campaigns typically focus on engaging in civil campaign discourse and promoting their own accomplishments. In stark contrast, virtually all Pennsylvania campaigns rely heavily on television and seek to gain votes through the use of negative “attack ads.” Data drawn from presidential election results demonstrated that Pennsylvania shows evidence of geographical political sorting, a process whereby individuals cluster themselves based on their political views and a measure of polarization. Pennsylvania contains some congressional districts that lean very strongly towards the Democratic Party, and some that lean very strongly towards the Republican Party. Delaware’s at‐large congressional district has a partisan lean that is much less extreme than most districts in Pennsylvania, indicating a lower level of polarization. Delaware’s lower level of polarization is also supported by interviews with campaign staffers, politicians, and polling data. Polling data showed that Delaware’s electorate, regardless of party affiliation, is generally pleased with the state’s leadership and government, and that politicians from both parties have wide crossover appeal among members of both parties.