Campaign trail cliche: an analysis of U.S. politicians photo-taking behavior with children

During recent years, several researchers investigated politicians' public appearances to understand the impact of their actions on voters' intentions. Despite the large body of literature surrounding the politicians' families, especially in the U.S. context, little is known about the practice and general influence of politicians taking photographs with infants and children. In this study, politicians' behavior, and especially their public appearances next to infants and children during the presidential campaigns, is evaluated. Results across different presidential campaigns (from 1924 to 2020) confirm that politicians are more likely to take pictures with infants and children the closer it gets to the actual election date. Moreover, results reveal that the different parties —Democratic and Republican— engage in this practice at different stages of the campaign, which varies their likelihood of being elected.