Republican race overshadows Democrats as Cruz moves to challenge Trump

U.S. TV & print news, December 16 - 23, 2015

New York, December 23, 2015. While many leading Republican and Democratic candidates contend with Trump’s leadership position in the polls, Ted Cruz’s media image has risen above the pack, positioning him as the potential front-runner, according to new research from Media Tenor International.

“Trump continues to command the bulk of visibility in both print and TV news,” says Racheline Maltese, a researcher at Media Tenor. “Recent controversial comments have not eroded his image or polling performance, despite criticism from journalists and other politicians, as the controversy has appealed to his core constituents. Cruz, however, has recently surged in the polls, and coverage now looks towards him to offer Trump a challenge on the road to the Republican nomination.”

The race for the Democratic nomination was less visible, as the media focused on Trump. Clinton’s image saw some improvement, which bodes well for her performance at the national level as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Sanders’s image took a hit, weakening his chances of securing the nomination, around a scandal related to campaign data.

This research examined all 788 reports on political figures on four U.S. TV news programs and in eight opinion-leading print publications.

For over 20 years Media Tenor’s mission has been to contribute to objective, diverse and newsworthy media content by bringing together the diverse parties. Media Tenor’s global research projects include analyses of election campaigns, investor relations, public diplomacy, corporate communications and other topics critical to news makers and news audiences.

For more information, please contact Racheline Maltese at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +1 212-935-0210.