Explaining Campaign Intensity

This article develops and tests a causal model of campaign intensity in U.S. Senate elections. Although campaign intensity has received a considerable amount of scholarly attention in recent years, no study has explicitly attempted to model the factors contributing to varying levels of intensity across campaigns. This article draws on data from the NES 1988-1992 Pooled Senate Election Study, a content analysis of newspaper coverage of Senate races, and a data set of candidates' positions across a wide variety of issue dimensions to develop and test a model of intensity. Results indicate that aspects of incumbent vulnerability, challenger quality, and the political environment all significantly influence intensity levels.