Campaign Outreach and Strategy

Today’s presidential candidates are increasingly prioritizing social media outreach, while the role of campaign websites is shifting.

Overall, 16% of registered voters follow candidates for office, political parties, or elected officials on a social networking site.

Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz are among just seven major-party presidential candidates who have used online venues to announce entering the race since 2004.

28% of registered voters use their cell phone to follow political news, and 16% follow political figures on social media.

The growth of social media and the rapid adoption of internet-enabled mobile devices have changed the way Americans engage in the political process.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both received more negative than positive coverage from the news media in the eight weeks since the conventions, but Obama has had an edge overall, a new PEJ study finds. The report also examines how the candidates fared in different media outlets, the tone of the conversation on social media and offers comparisons to 2008 campaign coverage.

55% of registered voters have watched political videos online this election season, and 52% have had others recommend political videos for them to watch online

Overview Just as the presidential race is deadlocked in the campaign’s final days, the candidates are also running about even when it comes to the ground game. Voters nationally, as well those in the closely contested battleground states, report being contacted at about the same rates by each of the campaigns. And with a fifth […]

10% of 2012 presidential campaign donors have contributed via text message or cell phone app.

On the eve of the conventions, the portrayal in the news media of the character and records of the two presidential contenders in 2012 has been as negative as any campaign in recent times, and neither candidate has enjoyed any advantage over the other.