Conventional wisdom holds that party leaders matter in democratic elections. As very few
voters have direct contact with party leaders, media are voters' primary source of information …

The prominence of party leaders in the media is one of the presumed causes of leader
effects (ie, the influence of party leader evaluation on the voting decision). Yet there is scant …

Leaders and members of parliament serve as a political party's public face. Their image
casts a shadow in which observers interpret policy statements. It is hypothesized in this …

There is a lively debate whether to consider vote decisions based on leader evaluations a
threat to democracy, as this has long been assumed to constitute irrational decision-making …

It is often argued that right-wing populist party leaders are dependent on the media for their
public image, which in turn is key for their electoral success. This study tests this assumption …

It is well known that political parties market their leaders to mass appeal. Physical
makeovers such as new styles of dress and hair, and carefully planned speeches designed …

In times of increasing “mediatization” of politics, when voters and their elected
representatives primarily communicate through the media, the question of who gets into the …

Do leaders make a difference? Are national political candidates and their public images
influential in shaping voter choice and in determining election outcomes? Scholarly …

The 2004 Greek election provides an interesting case study for examining the impact of
party leaders on the vote. A change in governing party leadership a few months before …

Campaign organizers and the media appear to agree that voters' perceptions of party
leaders have an important impact in elections: considerable effort is made to ensure that …