Something Biased This Way Comes: The Effect of Media on House Elections in the US
With Haaris Mateen
Abstract
We provide novel evidence on the effect of a conservative-biased local TV station operator on the ideologies of local election candidates in the US. We document an ideological shift to more conservatism for the winner in House of Representatives elections, which strengthens over time. This is driven by a higher probability of Republicans winning but also a shift to more conservatism for both Republican and Democratic candidates, even though Democratic candidates in the primaries may become more liberal on average. We show that Republican candidates receive increased donations after the entry of the local TV station operator.