Character Counts? How Presidential Candidates Shape Perceptions of their Qualifications in Nomination Speechs

Abstract

Questions of what makes a person qualified to run or assume the office of the presidency have long been an issue in campaigns in the modern era and Donald Trump was the first president elected without government experience, and with doubts about his fitness for office. I tested whether recent candidates attempted to burnish the view of their character during nomination speeches and whether voters, who say these issues matter to them, used that information when they cast their ballots. My research shows that candidates do not highlight their own character and voters don't care. The results offer questions about whether 2017 may be a turning point in how voters judge the character of presidential candidates.