Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Manship School of Mass Communication

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

This dissertation explores how the opponent's gender will impact women candidates during an election. With the increase in the number of women elected to political office, there are more instances where women challenge other women. The purpose of this study is to test how contextual factors during elections will shape how voters will evaluate candidates, how candidates represent themselves, and how the media presents these candidates. I develop and test my own theory, which I call Gender Context Theory (GCT), which argues that contextual factors such as an opponent's gender will influence a candidate's behavior during an election in three distinct areas. Using three studies, I examine the differences between women in mixed-gender and all-women races. In study one, I use a vignette experiment and a conjoint experiment to determine how voters will evaluate women candidates in different types of contexts. Study 2 uses 2022 campaign ads from Twitter/X, campaign ads, and emails. I explore how candidates may differ in their campaigns, facing different opponents, and how these strategies may be contextually based on the platform. Lastly, study 3 looks at local news articles featuring candidates from the 2024 election, and I explore how the news represents political candidates with political issues. These studies combined start to explore how contextual factors in elections shape candidates' strategies and, through the development of GCT, show the role that opponents' gender will have for women candidates during elections.

Date

3-26-2026

Committee Chair

Nichole Bauer

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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Available for download on Sunday, March 25, 2029

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