Candidates know what they're doing when they point out rivals age, ethnicity and height

After prevailing against his GOP rivals in the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primary and national polls, former president Donald Trump has turned to attacking the appearance and character of his former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.

As Trump's sole remaining challenger vying to be the Republican nominee, Haley's citizenship and eligibility for president was falsely called into question and her birth name, Nimarata Nikki Randhawa, was mocked by the party's frontrunner ahead of the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24. Callous comments are a staple of Trump's tactics and another example of how candidates underline superficial factors that voters subconsciously care about.

Before placing a ballot on Election Day, a voter may consciously consider party lines, a candidate’s qualifications, promises and controversies. But when cruising through the selection of presidential hopefuls, voters might not be aware of all the factors they're taking into account, from the size a candidate's shoes or style of dress, to their name, ethnicity and age.

When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was still campaigning, questions about his height were consistently among the top queries on Google, following speculation spurred on by some of his opponents that his boots were designed for him to appear taller. In a November interview, Haley told The Daily Show,” host Charlamagne tha God that she's open about her high heels and has never "hid that from anybody."

“We tend to like men who are taller, we tend to trust them or think of them as more protective and competent,” Tammy R. Vigil, a media science professor at Boston University, told USA TODAY. “Realistically, height shouldn't be a factor but we do live in an image oriented society and we do have those latent perceptions of people based on size, vocal tenor.”

Voters interpret candidates on how they would like them as people rather than political figures, Vigil said. She said they prefer candidates with physical attributes they either see in themselves, aspire to look like or what they believe a candidate should look like. 

While looks are by no means the sole deciding factor, democracy could benefit from voters examining their own physical biases.

New Hampshire primary:Haley says voters don't want a coronation

How candidates engage in live appearances

Wardrobe at live appearances is as essential for political candidates as costumes are for theatrical productions, Vigil said. 

Politicians often dress to appeal to their audience in different scenarios, such as wearing jeans and a button down shirt at the Iowa State Fair to appear more relatable. Others will participate in half marathon runs to show off their physical abilities. However for the most part, male candidates dress formally with a dark suit and typically a red or blue tie. 

“For women, it's also usually a suit of some sort, although you have to be careful because the pants suit gets harassed sometimes. But then high heels are also always an issue,” Vigil said. “So it's an interesting challenge to try to play up the expectations or play to the expectations without actually seeming to pander.”

Campaigns may also factor in height during live debates.

Vigil said taller male candidates will want to prohibit their competition from using risers behind their podiums, while shorter candidates will encourage it. 

How race and gender impacts some candidates differently 

Not every candidate is judged under a cookie-cutter standard of what a president should look like. While it is preferred that men appear tall and strong, women must navigate a chessboard of stereotypes. 

Voters often perceive deeper voices to be indicative of power, automatically placing women at a disadvantage, Vigil added. Meanwhile, men with higher vocal range tend to be criticized for having less gravitas. 

“Even in the 2020 campaign, there was a whole lot of conversation about Elizabeth Warren and her mousy voice,” Vigil said. “You'll hear people talking about things ‘I don't know if I'd want to listen to a whole speech by her. Like, can you imagine her giving the State of the Union.’ And it really isn't anything about her policies, her ideas, her values or her abilities.”

Political media consultant Tobe Berkovitz, who has worked on campaigns in over 25 states for decades, said ethnic candidates have historically been judged in ways white candidates are not. 

“That's unfortunate, but it's been the reality, it's probably become less significant over time. But it still is a factor, both subtle and overt, in terms of bias and stereotypes,” Berkovitz said. 

How much do voters care about age in presidential races?

The current presidential race is seemingly gearing up to be a rematch between Democratic frontrunner, President Joe Biden, 81, and GOP frontrunner, former president Donald Trump, 77. 

Critics of Biden have not shied away from questioning the president’s cognitive ability and excoriating his stutter. In 2021, a group of 14 Republicans urged him to take a cognitive test and publicly release the results. 

The Trump campaign made concerns over Biden’s mental fitness a major piece ahead of the 2020 election. Now, Trump's own age and competency are being criticized by competitors. Haley argued Trump is not as sharp as he used to be after he confused her with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and said Haley was in Washington during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. She also said Trump was mistaken when he claimed he ran against former President Barack Obama. 

“These things happen because, guess what? When you're 80 that's what happens. You're just not as sharp as you used to be,” Haley told voters in Keene, New Hampshire earlier this month. "We need to know that we are not giving our kids options of two 80-year-olds going into a presidency.” 

Berkovitz said unlike superficial factors such as height and weight, age can be a legitimate factor to consider when specifically focusing on a candidate’s competence. He added 40th president Ronald Reagan was an older American who exuded confidence and dodged scrutiny over his age by appearing physically robust. 

“If you do not seem competent, and you are older, it could be a stereotype or it could be a reality [that] you're older and your cognitive abilities have declined. But we've also had many Supreme Court justices, senators who are older, and yet seem to have full command of their cognitive abilities and their presentation skills,” Berkovitz said. 

Partisanship often determines the attributes that matter to voters

Campaigns are not alone in leaning into what qualities are important to them. Throughout an election cycle, voters will convince themselves that their political party’s frontrunner has the best attributes, according to Matt Grossmann, a political science professor at Michigan State University.

“People adjust what personal traits they say are important based on the candidate that they're currently supporting,” Grossmann said. 

The eventual Democrat and Republican nominee will paint a clear picture of what factors to emphasize, whether its experience, age or competence. 

Vigil said voter’s should take a moment to acknowledge whatever unconscious bias is influencing their decision on Election Day and know “where they stand and what they're really making their assessments on.”