Media Messages in the 2022 Midterm Election

The 2022 midterms marked a transformative moment in American politics, as the combined influence of legacy media and social platforms reached new heights. Traditional outlets like television news and print journalism set the stage, while a vast digital ecosystem-spanning Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and more-enabled campaigns to amplify messages on issues like abortion rights, the economy, and immigration. As these platforms shaped the voter experience in a fragmented and often- polarized media environment, campaigns and citizens harnessed their power to reach diverse audiences and build momentum across both established and emerging channels. This book offers a compelling, scholarly exploration of these dynamics, revealing how communication across traditional and digital media shaped an election forecasted as a Republican "red wave" but instead delivered unexpected, narrower results. Through detailed analyses, data- driven research, and case studies from high- profile races, this book uncovers how media strategies influenced voter behavior, shaped public discourse, and framed electoral outcomes. Essential for academics, political analysts, and media professionals, this work provides crucial insights into the evolving role of media in U.S. elections and the weighty implications for future democratic engagement.

John Allen Hendricks is Chair of the Department of Media & Communication and Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, a member of the University of Texas System, where he teaches courses in communication theory, research methods, First Amendment law, and media and politics. He is the recipient of book awards from the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). Dan Schill is Professor in the School of Communication Studies and Affiliate Professor in Political Science at James Madison University, where he teaches courses in advocacy, political communication, research methods, and media and politics. His research focuses on communication, politics, media, and technology.

Chapter 1: Media, Messaging, and the Midterms: Communication Dynamics in the 2022 U.S. Elections SECTION I: AMPLIFIED DOUBTS: CONSPIRACY THEORIES, COMMUNICATION, AND THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS Chapter 2: Conspiratorial Ideation, Election Denial, and Voter Choice Chapter 3: 2000 Mules: A Story of Consequences and Conspiracy SECTION II: FRAMING THE DEBATE: HOW ISSUES SHAPED 2022 CANDIDATE COMMUNICATION Chapter 4: Post-Roe Politics: Priming, Framing, and the Dynamics of Abortion Discourse in Congressional Campaigns Chapter 5: Winning Stories Amid Partisanship: Narratives in Political Advertisements and Overperforming Candidates in the 2022 U.S. Midterm Election Chapter 6: How Congress Managed Social Media Agenda Fracture and Inversion during the 2022 Election SECTION III: NEWS NARRATIVES: 2022 MEDIA COVERAGE AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION Chapter 7: The Impact of Digital Partisan News Algorithms in the 2022 Midterm Election Chapter 8: Reply "STOP": Dominant Media Frames of SMS-Based Political Communication as a Consumer Problem Chapter 9: Of Red Waves, Election Deniers, Candidate Quality and Other Issues: Political Cartoons during the 2022 Midterm Elections SECTION IV: MIDTERM COMMUNICATION IN THE STATES: CASE STUDIES FROM ARIZONA, NEVADA, FLORIDA, TEXAS, AND KANSAS Chapter 10: The Limits of Being "100% Pro-Life:" Rhetorical Trajectory and Abortion in the American Southwest Chapter 11: Florida's 2022 Senate Race: Social Media, Social Justice, and Partisanship Chapter 12: The Centrality of Citizen-as-Consumer: A Study of the 2022 Texas Midterms and the Failing Concept of the Marketplace of Ideas in a Digital Era Chapter 13: Gendered Treatment in the Communication Strategy of a Female Gubernatorial Candidate