This study examines the visual and verbal components of Kyrsten Sinema’s and Martha McSally’s campaign video announcements as both candidates competed for the 2018 Arizona Senate. The primary research objective was to understand how the audience demographics and the rhetorical situation faced by each candidate affected the choice of visual components for the persuasion of potential voters. The study concludes that the visual messages were chosen primarily to appeal to each candidate’s supporting viewers. Sinema’s message, however, was more intersectional in that it appealed to a larger body of potential voters across party lines. The candidates appeal to voters using difference visual and verbal strategies to accomplish increasing voter intensity among current supporters and appealing to voters who might initially prefer their opponent.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study examines the visual and verbal components of Kyrsten Sinema’s and Martha McSally’s campaign video announcements as both candidates competed for the 2018 Arizona Senate. The primary research objective was to understand how the audience demographics and the rhetorical situation faced by each candidate affected the choice of visual components for the persuasion of potential voters. The study concludes that the visual messages were chosen primarily to appeal to each candidate’s supporting viewers. Sinema’s message, however, was more intersectional in that it appealed to a larger body of potential voters across party lines. The candidates appeal to voters using difference visual and verbal strategies to accomplish increasing voter intensity among current supporters and appealing to voters who might initially prefer their opponent.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Oswald, Audrey L."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS) in Communications","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Communication Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:13:16Z","subjects":["Broadcast and Video Studies","Critical and Cultural Studies","Mass Communication","Social Influence and Political Communication"],"languages":[],"rights":["Access is available to all users"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/577","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Oswald, Audrey L."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS) in Communications"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Broadcast and Video Studies","Critical and Cultural Studies","Mass Communication","Social Influence and Political Communication"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Access is available to all users"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/577"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study examines the visual and verbal components of Kyrsten Sinema’s and Martha McSally’s campaign video announcements as both candidates competed for the 2018 Arizona Senate. The primary research objective was to understand how the audience demographics and the rhetorical situation faced by each candidate affected the choice of visual components for the persuasion of potential voters. The study concludes that the visual messages were chosen primarily to appeal to each candidate’s supporting viewers. Sinema’s message, however, was more intersectional in that it appealed to a larger body of potential voters across party lines. The candidates appeal to voters using difference visual and verbal strategies to accomplish increasing voter intensity among current supporters and appealing to voters who might initially prefer their opponent.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Raising Arizona: a visual rhetorical analysis of Kyrsten Sinema's and Martha McSally's 2018 campaign announcement videos"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Oswald, Audrey L."],"dc:description.abstract":["This study examines the visual and verbal components of Kyrsten Sinema’s and Martha McSally’s campaign video announcements as both candidates competed for the 2018 Arizona Senate. The primary research objective was to understand how the audience demographics and the rhetorical situation faced by each candidate affected the choice of visual components for the persuasion of potential voters. The study concludes that the visual messages were chosen primarily to appeal to each candidate’s supporting viewers. Sinema’s message, however, was more intersectional in that it appealed to a larger body of potential voters across party lines. The candidates appeal to voters using difference visual and verbal strategies to accomplish increasing voter intensity among current supporters and appealing to voters who might initially prefer their opponent.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/577"],"dc:rights":["Access is available to all users"],"dc:subject":["Broadcast and Video Studies","Critical and Cultural Studies","Mass Communication","Social Influence and Political Communication"],"dc:title":["Raising Arizona: a visual rhetorical analysis of Kyrsten Sinema's and Martha McSally's 2018 campaign announcement videos"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS) in Communications"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:13:16Z"}