Robert E. Denton, Jr. is the W. Thomas Rice Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Communication at Virginia Tech University, where he previously served as the Founding Director of the School of Communication and of the Rice Center for Leader Development. Denton has authored or edited 33 books, many in multiple editions, focusing on political communication and leadership.

About the Contributors xv

Acknowledgments xxi

Preface xxiii

Section 1: Political Campaign Communication In the 2024 Presidential Campaign 1

Chapter 1: Setting the Stage for 2024: A Tale of Three Incumbencies 3
Craig Allen Smith Copyrighted Material

Presumption and Incumbency 4

Incumbency in 2024 6

Biden: The Actual Incumbent 7

Trump: The Challenging Incumbent 12

Harris: The Heir Incumbent 16

Conclusions 26

End Notes 28

Chapter 2: Getting on Stage: Surfacing for 2024 35
Craig Allen Smith

Surfacing in the Early Years 36

Surfacing Since the 1970s: Binding Primaries 38

The Surfacing Landscape Evolves: 1972 versus 2024 41

Trent's Theory of Surfacing 43

Establishing Expectations of Candidates 44

Determining Front Runners or Serious Contenders 44

Important Issues or Themes Emerge 45

Surfacing Metrics 46

The Aspiring Democrats 48

The Aspiring Republicans 51

The Trump Critics 52

The Newbies 52

The Contenders 53

The Republican Debates 55

The First Republican Debate 56

The Second Republican Debate 59

The Final Three Debates 60

Summary 61

Issue Surfacing for 2024 62

Conclusions 63

End Notes 65

Chapter 3: The 2024 Political Party Conventions: Contexts, Rhetoric, and Curiosities 71
Theodore F. Sheckels

The Death of a Genre 73

Media Reversal 77

Agenda 79

The Republicans 80

The Democrats 82

Late Twists 85

Curiosities 87

Republicans 87

Democrats 88

Both Parties 89

The Vice- Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speeches 89

The Candidates' Families 90

The Music 91

Conclusion 92

End Notes 96

Chapter 4: Presidential Debates 2024 101
Benjamin Voth

Presidential Debates and Election 2020 102

CNN 2023 Town Hall with Trump 104

Republican Presidential Primary Debates 2024 105

The Critical June 27th Debate 107

The Harris and Trump Debate 111

October 1st Vice- Presidential Debate 114

Did the Debates Matter for the Result of the Election? 115

The Future of Presidential Debates in 2028 116

End Notes 119

Chapter 5: Televised Political Advertising in the 2024

Presidential Election 125
Scott W. Dunn and John C. Tedesco

Advertising and Spending 128

Harris and Democratic Ads 132

Biden Ads 132

Harris Ads 134

Contrasts between Trump and Harris 134

Issue Ads: Abortion and the Economy 136

Ads from Outside Groups/Super PACs 138

Trump and Republican Ads 139

Comparisons between Trump and Harris and Harris and Biden 140

Issue Ads: Immigration, Inflation, and Taxation 142

Ads from Outside Groups/Super PACs 144

Conclusion 148

End Notes 149

Chapter 6: The 2024 Presidential Media Campaign 157
Dan Schill and John Allen Hendricks

The 2024 Media and Politics Ecosystem 162

Digital and Social Media Platforms 167

X/Twitter 170

Facebook and Threads 171

YouTube 171

TikTok 172

Podcasts 173

Snapchat 175

The Influence of Celebrities, Influencers, and Pop Culture 175

Communication Technology, Misinformation, and Artificial Intelligence 178

The 2024 Kamala Harris Social Media Campaign 181

X 183

Facebook, Instagram, and Threads 184

Snapchat 185

YouTube 186

TikTok 187

Podcasts 187

Traditional Media 190

The 2024 Donald Trump Social Media Campaign 192

Truth Social 198

Facebook 199

TikTok 200

Podcasts 201

Conclusion 202

End Notes 203

Chapter 7: From Party Conventions to Election Day: Campaign 2024 in Editorial Cartoons 219
Natalia Mielczarek

Editorial Cartoons and American Politics 221

Cartoon Dataset, Themes, and Visual Rhetoric 224

Visual Themes in Campaign 2024 at a Glance 225

Visual Construction of the "Evil, Hateful and Dangerous Donald Trump" Theme 227

Visual Construction of the "Dumb, Harmful and Indecisive Kamala Harris" Theme 233

Visual Construction of Four Episodic Themes 237

"Excitement over Kamala Harris's Candidacy" Theme 237

"JD Vance as a Dangerous VP Choice" Theme 239

"Joe Biden Pushed Out of the Presidential Race" 241

"Tim Walz as a Weak VP Pick" 243

Visual Rhetoric, Narrative Arcs, and Campaign 2024 245

Falling Action, Election Day, and Resolution 248

End Notes 250

Section 2: Studies of Communication in The 2024 Presidential Campaign 255

Chapter 8: Impact of Crisis on Candidate Branding in the 2024 Presidential Election 257
Lisa M. Burns and Hilary Fussell Sisco

Political Branding 258

Crisis Management and Rebranding 263

Campaign Chaos 265

Impact of Crisis on Harris Brand 268

Impact of Crisis on Trump's Brand 274

Conclusion 279

End Notes 281

Chapter 9: AI- Generated Imagery in the 2024 Presidential Election: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Potential to Foster Positive Engagement in Future Elections 291
Bingbing Zhang and David D. Perlmutter

Definition of AI- Generated Imagery 293

The Role of AI- Generated Imagery in Presidential Elections: An Overview 294

Impact of AI- Generated Imagery on Voters' Perceptions 295

Ways to Combat AI- Generated Misinformation/Disinformation 296

"It's Not All Bad": Broader Context and Future Prospects for Research and Practice 297

Conclusion 299

End Notes 300

Chapter 10: The Tangled Webs They Weave: An Exploration of Interorganizational Connections in the Most Unprecedented Presidential Campaign in History 307
Michele Rees Edwards

An Unprecedented Campaign 309

Interorganizational Communication Theory 311

Organizations Involved in a Presidential Election 313

Governmental Organizations 314

Governmental Organizations with Legally Defined Roles in Campaigns and Elections 314

Governmental Organizations That Are Headed by Presidential Appointees 315

Nongovernmental Organizations 316

For-Profit Organizations with Connections to Politics 318

Interorganizational Connections in the 2024 Presidential Campaign 319

Connections Involving Media 319

Connections Involving the Two Assassination Attempts 323

July 13, 2024 323

September 15, 2024 325

Connections Involving Former Democrats Who Endorsed Trump 327

Conclusion 331

End Notes 332

Chapter 11: Saturday Night Live and Political Humor as Argument in Presidential Campaign 2024 337
Benjamin Voth

The History of SNL 340

SNL in Election 2024 344

The Al Smith Dinner on October 17, 2024 345

The Comic Conclusion of Presidential Election 2024 346

End Notes 348

Chapter 12: Campaign Finance and Its Impact on the

2024 Presidential Campaign 351
Cayce Myers

Campaign Finances and Their Impact on Presidential Elections 354

Democratic Fundraising Pre- Convention: From Biden to Harris 360

Pre- general Republican Fundraising: A Trump Resurgence 363

Trump versus Harris: Campaign Fundraising Post- Convention 366

Does Money Matter in Campaigns? Three Lessons from Election 2024 370

End Notes 371

Index 375