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Elections: Reliability Trumps Competence: Personal Attributes in the 2004 Presidential Election
Author(s) -
WATTENBERG MARTIN P.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
presidential studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1741-5705
pISSN - 0360-4918
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-5705.2006.02576.x
Subject(s) - victory , presidential system , political science , voting , competence (human resources) , presidential election , public relations , psychology , social psychology , law , politics
This research note presents data demonstrating that George W. Bush enjoyed a substantial advantage over John Kerry in terms of how voters perceived their personal qualities. This advantage was particularly evident on reliability, integrity, and strength of leadership. Multivariate analysis of voting choices supports the conclusion that these factors provided the crucial margin of victory for Bush's reelection in 2004.