Too Bad You Never Knew Ace Hanna

Andreas Jungherr (2010) ‘Build it and they will come: online campaigning in Germany for the 2009 general elections’. Paper presented at the MPSA 68th National Conference, Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, USA on 22-25 April.

Abstract: In order to understand the potential of online tools for election campaigns, it is not enough to examine online campaigns in the United States. The US are exceptional in online-usage, funding of political campaigns and the strong polarization of public opinion. All of these factors influence the adoption of online tools in US election campaigns. This paper aims to broaden our understanding by looking at a campaign outside the US. Online campaigning played a mayor role in the campaign for the general elections in Germany 2009. For the first time both mayor parties – CDU and SPD – tried their hands in national online campaigns. An analysis of their efforts can serve as an indicator for the potential of online tools in election campaigns outside the US. This paper provides a case study of the CDU online campaign. The focus on one of the parties allows for a detailed discussion of different online tools and for an evaluation of the parties‘ online strategy. Special attention will be given to the campaign‘s use of different social networks and online communities. The case of the German CDU clearly shows the potential for online campaigns outside the US.

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