In this article, we test the effects of interest group endorsements on potential voters in the 2008 presidential election. Specifically, we use a posttest-only, multiple control group experiment (N = 701) to examine how real-world endorsements affect citizens. We find that endorsements have profound effects on some voters. Specifically, we find that interest-group endorsements profoundly affect the candidate evaluations and stated voting preferences of potential voters who are what we call ‘poorly aligned’ – that is, whose stand on the issue on which the endorsement is based (in this case, abortion) does not align ‘properly’ with their party identification and ideology. Moreover, we find that the effects of endorsements are most profound among poorly aligned voters who are not well informed. In all, our results confirm that interest-group endorsements indeed act as cues for voters, even in high-information elections.

The Internet is often viewed as a replacement for “old” modes of communication, a tool used by news seekers, including public officials, to bypass traditional news media. However, the authors show that the arrival of this “new” media has not caused officials to forsake journalists and abandon traditional media. Instead, they are utilizing theWeb as a new method for seeking coverage from the old media. By conducting a content analysis of the official Web sites of every member of the U.S. Congress, the authors reveal that about three-quarters of these legislators explicitly employ their site to try to attract journalists and traditional reporting. In addition, the authors examine the types of features that are included to make congressional Web sites “media friendly” and the extent to which each of these is used by members. Finally, they discuss some of the factors that explain the variance among legislators in regard to their use of Web sites for this purpose.

for their helpful comments on previous versions of this manuscript. The author extends his appreciation to Michael Tomz for assistance with CLARIFY and to Susan Mac-Manus for providing helpful information relating to municipal structure. The author owes a tremendous debt to David Hedge, the late James Button, and Mary Spear, whose work provided the intellectual foundation for this research.

Congressional veto Definition Legislative vetoes are negotiated arrangements between Congress and the executive branch whereby Congress gives agencies discretionary authority to establish administrative regulations that have the force of law, while Congress exercises supervisory control by retaining the authority to prohibit certain executive actions by passing either a concurrent resolution in both of its chambers or a simple resolution in one of its chambers or committees. Legislative vetoes technically occur outside the Constitution's step-by-step lawmaking process, and they reverse the bargaining roles traditionally occupied by the legislative and executive branches in their negotiations with one another.

No abstract