Weighted variables

by Henry Farrell on November 3, 2009 · 2 comments

in Campaigns and elections

Marc Ambinder tells us that the infamous Corzine “throwing his weight around” spot aimed at Chris Christie was by far the most downloaded ad in the New Jersey race. This of course tells us more about media buzz than about efficacity – but has anyone done any research on whether candidates’ perceived girth relative to their opponent helps predict their share of the vote? The measurement issues are obvious, but political controversies (viz. the ‘how did Mike Huckabee slim down’ controversy from the presidential primaries) suggest that it is at least worth considering as an explanatory variable …

{ 2 comments }

Harry B. Hind November 3, 2009 at 12:53 pm

“efficacity” ?

Adano November 4, 2009 at 12:44 pm

I just don’t see him calling Christie fat here. Yes, I heard the “threw his weight around” reference, but still.

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