بحران، جاذبه، ارزش ها و رفتار رای دادن در انتخابات ریاست جمهوری 2004

This study extends Pillai and Williams [1998, Pillai, R., Williams, E.A., Lowe, K.B., & Jung, D.I. (2003). Personality, transformational leadership, trust, and the 2000 U.S. presidential vote. The Leadership Quarterly, 14, 161–192] and examines leadership in the context of the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Data were collected at two time periods from respondents in three locations across two major regions of the U.S. Our results indicate that respondents' perception of crisis was related to charismatic leadership in the negative direction for the incumbent George W. Bush and in the positive direction for the challenger John Kerry. For Bush and Kerry the relationship between crisis and voting behavior was mediated by charismatic leadership. For Bush, decisiveness was related to charismatic leadership, which in turn predicted voting behavior. For Kerry, decisiveness and charismatic leadership predicted voting behavior. Implications of the findings for leadership research, in particular with respect to an incumbent and the challenger to an incumbent leader, are discussed.

The events of September 11, 2001 (“9/11”) and subsequent military initiatives in Afghanistan and Iraq have highlighted the enormous challenges faced by the U.S. president. Voter concerns have been jolted from an insular focus on domestic economic issues to an increased emphasis on candidate leadership abilities. The reality of 21st century U.S. presidential leadership is that voters are focused on an increasingly complex global stage both politically and economically. In this environment, presidential candidates who can make meaning from seemingly insurmountable complexity, provide a clear sense of direction, and appear willing to take principled action will be sought by voters. Thus, voter evaluations of candidates' leadership ability, character, and identification with his or her values are likely to play an even more important role in determining voting behavior in post 9/11 presidential elections. However, until recently, most studies of voting behavior have focused on voter party affiliation and identification.