Document Type

Article

Abstract

Similar to their running mates, VP candidates used geographic language to highlight important domestic and foreign issues. In both debates, each VP candidate utilized swing state references. However, swing states were not as prominently used by VP candidates. The 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential candidates' swing state references constituted a much higher proportion of their domestic language. It should be noted that previous research typically excludes references to candidates’ home states, as this has been found to be a source of data inflation and statistical noise. Thus, an analysis of the 2016 VP debate is complicated by the fact that Tim Kaine’s home, Virginia, was also a swing state.

Publication Date

2022

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