Relational and competence perceptions of presidential candidates during primary election campaigns

Abstract

This study examined the way that presidential primary campaigns influence initial formation and subsequent development of voters’ perceptions of candidates in contested primaries featuring lesser known candidates. The results revealed that candidate perception occurs in two phases. During the New Hampshire primary, as candidates are revealed to the rest of the country through television, potential voters in unaffected states form relational perceptions of the candidates. However, these initial relational perceptions are overpowered in time by perceptions of candidate competence, which play a decisive role in shaping voters’ overall attitudes and specific preferences.