After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government

Recent scholarship finds that the use of explicit racial appeals can be an effective mobilization strategy in some situations. Consequently, U.S. politics has witnessed the resurgence of such appeals. Yet, the effects of racial appeals are not ensconced in electoral contexts, but may have potential...

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Main Authors: Maneesh Arora, Christopher T. Stout
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2021-10-01
Series:Research & Politics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680211052135
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author Maneesh Arora
Christopher T. Stout
author_facet Maneesh Arora
Christopher T. Stout
author_sort Maneesh Arora
collection DOAJ
description Recent scholarship finds that the use of explicit racial appeals can be an effective mobilization strategy in some situations. Consequently, U.S. politics has witnessed the resurgence of such appeals. Yet, the effects of racial appeals are not ensconced in electoral contexts, but may have potential downstream effects on interest representation and the ability for politicians to build broader coalitions This study uses a survey experiment to test the effect of exposure to racist comments used by a 2018 U.S. Senate candidate on perceived interest representation among Black and White respondents. The results show that Black and liberal White respondents who are exposed to these comments feel that the candidate is less able to represent their interests. Thus, we find that the use of explicit racial appeals potentially alienates a substantial proportion of people which could potentially lead to greater dissatisfaction with government.
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spelling doaj-art-c926544e1df34e93937b9727ec5310f02025-08-20T01:58:04ZengSAGE PublishingResearch & Politics2053-16802021-10-01810.1177/20531680211052135After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in governmentManeesh AroraChristopher T. StoutRecent scholarship finds that the use of explicit racial appeals can be an effective mobilization strategy in some situations. Consequently, U.S. politics has witnessed the resurgence of such appeals. Yet, the effects of racial appeals are not ensconced in electoral contexts, but may have potential downstream effects on interest representation and the ability for politicians to build broader coalitions This study uses a survey experiment to test the effect of exposure to racist comments used by a 2018 U.S. Senate candidate on perceived interest representation among Black and White respondents. The results show that Black and liberal White respondents who are exposed to these comments feel that the candidate is less able to represent their interests. Thus, we find that the use of explicit racial appeals potentially alienates a substantial proportion of people which could potentially lead to greater dissatisfaction with government.https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680211052135
spellingShingle Maneesh Arora
Christopher T. Stout
After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government
Research & Politics
title After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government
title_full After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government
title_fullStr After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government
title_full_unstemmed After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government
title_short After the ballot box: How explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government
title_sort after the ballot box how explicit racist appeals damage constituents views of their representation in government
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680211052135
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