By

ii Political polling is now an integral part of congressional election campaigns. Polling is widely considered an accurate measure of public opinion and thus serves to reduce the uncertainty associated with running for Congress. It does so by supplying strategic information that enables campaigns to operate more efficiently and effectively, targeting campaign messages to voters who are most likely to be receptive. Poll use by congressional campaigns varies considerably but is predicted by campaign characteristics such as the competitiveness of the race, the resources available to pay for the polling, and the amount the campaign is spending on advertising. More polling is also done by incumbents and open-seat candidates compared to challengers, by candidates with prior political experience in elected office, and by Democrats. Finally, mid-decade redistricting has a negative effect on polling while a close underlying partisan division is positively related to poll use. Polling is used by campaigns to help the candidate more effectively communicat