William L. Benoit (Ph.D., Wayne State University) is a professor of communication studies at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He has published books and journal articles on functional theory, which he developed with his co-authors.

Mark J. Glantz (Ph.D., University of Missouri) is an associate professor of communication and media studies at St. Norbert University. He has published books and articles on a variety of topics including Persuasive Attacks on Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Primary.

Preface - Introduction - Methods and Procedures - Candidacy Announcement Speeches - Primary Television Spots - Primary Debates - Primary Social Media - Primary TV Talk Shows - Nomination Acceptance Addresses - General Television Spots - General Debates - General Social Media - Conclusions and Comparisons - Appendix: Meta-Analysis of Research on the Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse - References - Index.