Understanding the News Coverage of Gay Candidates: Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 Primary Campaign and the Partisan News Media

While some aspects of the campaigns of gay candidates have been studied in the past, existing scholarship regarding the news coverage that they receive is limited in the United States. Given that the news media may influence electoral outcomes and marginalize gay and lesbian candidates, it is important to examine how they are covered. Research suggests that three theories influence the news coverage of gay candidates—sexual mediation (heteronormative bias), discovery-scrutiny-decline (timing of campaigns), and partisan-ideological media bias. Are the news media biased against gay candidates by focusing on their sexual orientation? When does this happen, and does this vary by outlet’s ideological slant? To answer these questions, I compiled a dataset of articles from online news outlets across the political-ideological spectrum about the unique candidacy of Pete Buttigieg during the 2020 presidential primary. Using content analysis, I find that Buttigieg is more likely than his heterosexual competitors to have his sexuality, novelty, and LGBT issues discussed in his coverage. Articles in low information settings, such as those at the beginning of his campaign, help to explain why such attributes of Buttigieg’s campaign are covered. The more partisan-ideological outlets are, the more often they discuss Buttigieg’s sexually based attributes.