Press Coverage and Its Impact on Attitudes Toward a Black Republican for High-Profile Statewide Office: The 2006 Ohio Governor's Election

Abstract

This article studies the 2006 Ohio gubernatorial election and attempts to determine a connection between newspaper content emphasizing the race of the Black Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell and the positive or negative attitudes of Ohioans toward this counter-stereotypical candidate. Through a content analysis of both rural and urban Ohio newspapers, it was determined that the race of the Black candidate was emphasized more often than the race of his White opponent. Most surprising is the impact that the press coverage had on White Republicans’ opinions of the candidate versus its impact on the opinions of Black Democrats. This study encourages additional research examining the use of race mentions and party identification cues and the role both play while voters form opinions of different counter-stereotypical candidates.