What role do implicit and explicit attitudes play for the perception of candidates in TV debates broadcasted during an electoral campaign? Assuming that implicit and explicit attitudes co-exist, this paper tests the impact of implicit (and explicit) attitudes on the evaluation of Heinz-Christian Strache, the front-runner of Austria’s right-wing Free Democratic Party (FPÖ), in the TV Debates broadcasted during the 2013 election campaign. The analysis relies on data collected by the Austrian National Election Study (AUTNES) in 2013. The findings indicate that those citizens who have favorable implicit attitudes towards the FPÖ perceive candidates throughout differently than their counterparts. These results provide an important contribution to the role of campaign events, in particular, the role of TV debates, as well as how implicit attitudes shape citizens’ perception of candidates.
