Strategic Issue Framing in Election Campaigns: The Case of Healthcare in the 2000 Canadian Federal Election.

This paper develops a theory of strategic issue framing in electoral campaigns. Unlike issue priming theory, our theory argues that in many elections parties face pressures to address the same issues. As a consequence, parties battle during campaigns to increase the popular appeal of their preferred frames. These mediated frames, in certain circumstances, contribute to modify voters' perceptions of party leaders and voting decision. The theory is tested with data from the 2000 Canadian federal election. Content analyses of party campaign material and media coverage demonstrate how the incumbent Liberals successfully framed the healthcare issue to undermine the credibility of the official opposition. Statistical analyses show that the Liberal framing strategy contributed to significantly alter the election results. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]