“Marc Ambinder”:http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/11/the_most_popular_2009_election_video_is_phat.php tells us that the infamous Corzine “throwing his weight around” spot aimed at Chris Christie was by far the most downloaded ad in the New Jersey race. This of course tells us more about media buzz than about efficacity – but has anyone done any research on whether candidates’ perceived girth relative to their opponent helps predict their share of the vote? The measurement issues are obvious, but political controversies (viz. the ‘how did Mike Huckabee slim down’ controversy from the presidential primaries) suggest that it is at least worth considering as an explanatory variable …
