Literature on political elites suggests that public support for health policy is influenced by respective party positions, emphasizing the importance of understanding how health messages are framed by key party representatives. Presidential debates impact political knowledge, preexisting attitudes, and campaign interest and engagement. Informed by framing theory and using qualitative content analysis, this study identified and investigated health-related messaging in the politicized context of the main party presidential candidates' campaign speeches and debates in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 election cycles. This study examined 12 key speeches and debates from the American Presidency Project: the first primary debate, the party convention acceptance speeches, and the last general election presidential debate of each election cycle. The examination of transcripts involved searching for, comparing, and documenting differences in health-related messaging, aided by the qualitative research software Dedoose. Five health categories were identified, and the most frequently mentioned were, in descending order: (1) Insurance and Affordable Care, (2) Women's Health and Abortion, (3) Community Wellbeing, (4) COVID-19, and (5) Environment-Related Health. Findings reveal party differences in stances on health-related topics. For example, candidates held contending stances about the Affordable Care Act, where Democrats emphasized the need to maintain the program while Republicans pointed to rising premiums. These findings expand knowledge about political elite messaging on health-related topics and differences between parties in major public events. Professional implications are discussed.
