Laughter on the 2008 campaign trail: How presidential candidates used humor during primary debates 1

Humor has long been an important tool for presidential candidates on the campaign trail by humanizing them while endearing them to their constituents. While this humor may reduce the chasm between candidate and voter while establishing the candidates’ personal qualities and enhancing prestige, it can also be used as a tool to attack and denigrate opponents both within and outside the candidate’s political party. The laughter that occurs can also serve to signal support for the candidate and increase group cohesion. This paper analyzes the use of humor by Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates during primary debates of the 2008 electoral season. Data from each political party’s first three debates (Democrats: April 26, June 3, June 28; Republicans: May 3, May 15, June 5) as well as data from two additional debates which focused on both parties’ front-running candidates ( New Hampshire [January 5] and Super Tuesday [January 30, 31]) were collected using audience laughter as indicator of a “successful” humorous comment. Hypotheses concerning differences between the two parties and the status of the candidates as frontrunners or second-tier are tested by considering the target of the humorous comment and the nature of the laughter elicited in terms of the source, as well as the length and strength of the audience response.