Publication

The authors consider in this article the association of aging with the likelihood of illness and of significant cognitive change. They also examine the risk factors revealed by Senator Dole's personal and family medical history. To determine how much of this information was available to the public, they analyze media content on these subjects across the election year. They then trace the sources of the public's assessment of whether Dole's age and health would affect his performance as president and whether this judgment, in turn, affected the likelihood of voting for him.