Presidential Primary Videocassettes: How Candidates in the 2000 U.S. Presidential Primary Elections Framed Their Early Campaigns

The present study uses frame analysis and in-depth interviews to explore the presidential primary campaign videocassettes of Gary Bauer, Bill Bradley, George W. Bush, Steve Forbes, Al Gore, and John McCain. While the candidates used a variety of frames, all six videos shared one frame: mass media as supplier of candidate validation. Interviews with the producers of the videos confirmed data from the frame analysis and aided in understanding how and why the frames were used. The study lends insight into how the candidates chose to shape the images that they first presented to the public.