In the complex and often opaque world of U.S. congressional elections, a groundbreaking resource has emerged to illuminate the policy positions and personal narratives of candidates seeking public office. CampaignView, a newly developed open-access database spearheaded by researchers at the University of Notre Dame, represents a transformative tool for political scientists, journalists, educators, and engaged citizens alike. This platform fundamentally changes how election data—from candidate biographies to detailed campaign messaging—is accessed, analyzed, and understood, offering an unprecedented window into the dynamics shaping American democracy.
Since its inception in 2017, CampaignView has meticulously compiled tens of thousands of data points derived from congressional candidate campaign websites, focusing on both major-party contenders for the U.S. House of Representatives. The database now encompasses information on over 5,000 candidates spanning election cycles from 2018 through 2022, capturing nearly 87 percent of all ballot-eligible candidates. By systematically cataloging biographical information alongside comprehensive policy platform statements, the project addresses a critical void in the political research landscape: a centralized, structured repository of candidate self-presentation during electoral campaigns.
The foundation of CampaignView lies in its rigorous collection methodology. Unlike traditional approaches that rely on archived websites—often incomplete or inconsistently maintained—the database was built through real-time data gathering. Each election cycle, just before state primaries, research teams combed through official campaign websites, ensuring that the messages candidates presented to voters were captured as they appeared in the critical moments of the electoral process. This approach guarantees a level of accuracy and temporal relevance unmatched by retrospective archival methods.
Central to the database’s construction was a collaboration among political scientists, including Rachel Porter of Notre Dame, Colin Case of the University of Iowa, and Sarah Treul from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Together, they designed a comprehensive annotation system implemented by trained undergraduate researchers, who categorized more than 40,000 policy statements by topic. This extensive coding effort pairs each candidate’s narratives with variables such as party affiliation, incumbency status, and election outcomes, creating a multidimensional dataset ready for sophisticated statistical analysis.
The functionality of CampaignView allows users to perform granular searches filtering candidates by name, party, election year, or congressional district. Users can delve into specific policy domains or examine the exact language used in platform statements, facilitating comparative research across parties and electoral cycles. This level of detail opens new avenues for studying strategic messaging, ideological positioning, and the evolution of political discourse on issues ranging from environmental policy to immigration.
One of the most significant scholarly contributions of CampaignView is its extensive data on primary elections. In modern American politics, primaries have become the decisive battlegrounds where most congressional outcomes are effectively determined. The database provides rare insights into these critical contests, shedding light on how candidates jockey for position within their parties prior to wider general elections. It reveals not only what candidates emphasize but also how such messaging strategies reflect and influence broader ideological shifts within political parties.
Political polarization, agenda-setting battles, and strategic self-presentation are central themes that CampaignView enables scholars to investigate with unprecedented precision. For instance, the data reveals consistent partisan divides: Democrats frequently foreground issues like energy and the environment, healthcare, and social welfare, while Republicans more often highlight immigration and government operations. Over time, the database captures shifts within parties, such as the narrowing gap in education discussions between Democrats and Republicans in 2022 and the widening emphasis on healthcare by Democrats during the same period.
The extensive temporal coverage of CampaignView, with data being processed through the 2024 election cycle and plans to extend further to 2026 and beyond, positions it as a long-term repository for analyzing evolving campaign rhetoric. Future expansions anticipate integrating artificial intelligence to automate data collection and coding, providing near real-time updates on candidate platforms. This innovation promises to accelerate research and media reporting on electoral dynamics while enhancing voter information.
Beyond its academic value, the database is designed with practical utility for journalists, advocacy groups, and voters. Its accessible interface and multiple downloadable formats enable seamless integration into statistical software, making it a versatile tool for storytelling, policy analysis, and electoral monitoring. The platform embodies the principle that transparent access to candidate information is foundational to democratic accountability and informed voting.
Moreover, CampaignView’s focus on biographical narratives alongside policy positions acknowledges the intertwined nature of personal identity and political messaging. Understanding who candidates are, in addition to what they stand for, enriches analyses of electoral strategies and voter engagement. This holistic approach contributes to a deeper comprehension of the American political landscape, where personality and policy intertwine to shape electoral outcomes.
The project’s support from the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society at the University of Notre Dame highlights the increasing role of interdisciplinary research centers in advancing democratic data infrastructures. By combining political science expertise with data science methods and leveraging a vibrant community of student researchers, CampaignView exemplifies a new paradigm for producing high-quality, publicly available political data that meets the needs of various stakeholders.
In summary, CampaignView marks a significant leap forward in the transparency and analyzability of U.S. congressional election campaigns. By systematically capturing and categorizing candidate platforms and biographical details in real time, it provides a crucial resource for understanding electoral competition, party identity, and policy priorities. As the project expands and incorporates advanced computational techniques, it holds promise for enhancing democratic engagement and scholarly inquiry, fundamentally reshaping how political information is gathered, disseminated, and applied.
Subject of Research:
Not applicable
Article Title:
CampaignView, a database of policy platforms and biographical narratives for congressional candidates
News Publication Date:
15-Jul-2025
Web References:
https://www.campaignview.org
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05491-x
References:
Porter, R., Case, C., & Treul, S. (2025). CampaignView: A database of policy platforms and biographical narratives for congressional candidates. Scientific Data. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05491-x
Image Credits:
Barbara Johnston/University of Notre Dame
Keywords:
Databases, Elections, Political process, Political science, Government, Scientific approaches, Discovery research, Data availability
