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Social Science Computer Review
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Closing the Gap, Raising the Bar

Candidate Web Site Communication in the 2006 Campaigns for Congress

Girish J. "Jeff" Gulati

Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts, jgulati{at}bentley.edu

Christine B. Williams

Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts

This article examines online campaigning for the U.S. Congress in 2006. Increases in web presence have slowed, but with minor-party candidates closing the gap with major-party candidates in Senate races. A content analysis of the campaign web sites of every Senate and House candidate reveals that baseline informational web content and features have become standardized but that Senate sites are more sophisticated technologically. Multivariate analyses reveal that financial resources underwrite the highest levels of content and constitute a moving hurdle for disadvantaged candidates. Democrats, Greens, and challengers demonstrated more interest in relationship building, and the competitiveness of the race increased the likelihood of using the web site for mobilizing supporters. Features and functionality that allow citizens to coproduce content and interact in two-way communication are not being adopted widely, and it is an open question how candidates might integrate new social networking tools into their campaign strategies.

Key Words: campaign web sites • online campaigns • 2006 midterm elections • U.S. Senate • U.S. House

Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 25, No. 4, 443-465 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0894439307305624
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This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 European Journal of CommunicationHome page
E. J. Schweitzer
Innovation or Normalization in E-Campaigning?: A Longitudinal Content and Structural Analysis of German Party Websites in the 2002 and 2005 National Elections
European Journal of Communication, December 1, 2008; 23(4): 449 - 470.
[Abstract] [PDF]