Relationship between the visibility of political leaders during campaign and the outcome in general elections. A case study for Spain

TL;DR

This study examines how media visibility of political leaders during Spain's 2019 general election campaign influenced electoral outcomes, highlighting the impact of online newspaper coverage on right-wing party success.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence linking media prominence of political leaders to election results, focusing on online newspaper coverage in Spain.

Findings

Media coverage increased the electoral success of Vox.

Visibility of political leaders correlates with election outcomes.

Online newspapers significantly influenced voter perceptions.

Abstract

In this article, the authors find the evidence that media coverage consisting of 13 online newspapers enhanced the electoral results of right wing party in Spain (Vox) during general elections in November 2019. We consider the political parties and leaders mentions in these media during the electoral campaign from 1st to 10th November 2019, and only visibility or prominence dimension is necessary for the evidence.