Campaigning, Parties and the Digital in Contemporary Politics

Campaigning, Parties and the Digital in Contemporary Politics

July 8, 2026

About this episode

The episode discusses the evolving nature of political campaigning and the impact of digital tools on politics.

Politics, parties and campaigning are all changing. AI, digital tools and the rapid spread of messages all mean that the conduct and content of politics are changing. In many respects, it feels like the only constant is change. But closer observation often illuminates a patchier picture with elements of change and elements that remain. Moreover, change can be more evolutionary than revolutionary, and the change is not always along the lines we might predict. So, how and in what ways is political campaigning changing? What role are digital tools playing? What do citizens want from their political parties, and what are they (or could be) doing to meet those desires and expectations? Join Tim Haughton and guest Kate Dommett for a discussion of campaigning, digital politics and political parties. Kate Dommett is Professor of Digital Politics at the University of Sheffield. Among her many publications are The Reimagined Party: Democracy, change and the public, published by Manchester University Press in 2020, and a co-authored book with Glenn Kefford & Simon Kruschinski, Data Driven Campaigning and Political Parties: Five Advanced Democracies Compared, published by Oxford University…

People in this episode

Host: Tim Haughton

Guest: Kate Dommett

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Sheffield, University of Birmingham, Manchester University Press, Oxford University Press

Books & works: The Reimagined Party: Democracy, change and the public, Data Driven Campaigning and Political Parties: Five Advanced Democracies Compared, The New Party Challenge, Clicks and Mortar: Electoral Campaigning in the 21st Century

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