Accentuating the Positive in US Presidential Elections.

The article presents a comparison of how voters appraised the major party candidates in the 1996 and 2004 U.S. presidential general elections. It also examines the roles of voters' party identifications through the dynamic Simultaneous Equations Models. This also shows how emotions and trait evaluations impact the voters' overall appraisal of the candidates. The article concludes with the discussion of the critical role of hope in presidential campaigns.