Pandering Politics: Positive Racial Appeals in Political Campaigns

Jeremiah Muhammad

PIs: Jeremiah Muhammad, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Leah Christiani, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Grant Amount and Grant Fund: $2,500, Presidency Research Fund

Project Abstract: Though we know that positive racial appeals have increased, it is still unclear whether and when they are considered credible to the target group. For example, during the 2020 presidential campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden infamously said that Black voters “ain’t Black” if they vote for Trump. In a sense, this was a “positive” appeal to Black voters, in that he was hoping to reach out to this demographic to gain their support. However, his attempt at aligning himself with the Black community was not received well — as it was seen as pandering rather than something genuine. In this research project, we seek to understand the conditions under which “positive” explicit racial appeals for white politicians are successful in gaining support, with a focus on Black voters. We think that when white politicians attempt to cater to the Black community, their positive explicit appeal will not be successful unless they align themselves with a credible source.

Leah Christiani

Without alignment to a credible source, Black voters will likely perceive the positive, explicit appeal as disingenuous pandering rather than genuine commitment. Black voters, through their racial socialization experiences, learn to trust white Americans the least, as they are the group that has historically perpetrated the most discrimination against them. Thus, we expect that endorsements from a Black elite will be more successful in garnering support than positive explicit appeals — but that the combination of a positive explicit appeal and an endorsement may lead to the greatest gains in support.

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