If so, why?

Short answer no.

Longer answer: no science should be involved in political manipulation of candidates for the same reason that no religious belief should be involved in manipulation of candidates.

Nor should media - news especially - be involved in political manipulation.

Political decisions happen in the real world and affect people whether they are scientists, christians, atheists, or lay people with no particular religious affiliation and a (probably poor, because the schools are poor) high school education at best, and thus they should be based on logic and the evidence we have about reality, and not on any belief (including political belief) for which there is no evidence (take the decision to invade Iraq as an example of a decision based on belief rather than facts).

One has to wonder how a supposedly intelligent election system can seem to pick poor candidates so often and so easily.