This article explores how campaign consultants create shared networks across political races. When candidates hire consultants who have worked together previously or consult with members of rival campaigns, they adopt similar strategic approaches.
The Diffusion Mechanism: Consultant networks facilitate the spread of campaign tactics between candidates running in different districts. This occurs through direct connections and by drawing from common resources within these networks.
Direct overlap: Candidates sharing consultants directly copy strategies.
Secondary exposure: Even indirect contact with consultant network members leads to imitation.
The Political Implications: These findings suggest that campaign strategy is becoming increasingly standardized across elections. This standardization potentially reduces the uniqueness of candidates' approaches and may limit opportunities for innovative political communication.
| Connecting the Candidates: Consultant Networks and the Diffusion of Campaign Strategy in American Congressional Elections was authored by Brendan Nyhan and Jacob M. Montgomery. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2015. |
