… Replicating similar results in other research, Stanford’s Andrew Hall found, “When an extremist … wins a ‘coin-flip’ election over a more moderate candidate, the party’s general-election vote share decreases on average by approximately 9–13 percentage points.”
While some argue the benefits of moderation have declined in recent years, I assumed that most people engaged in the political process would agree with the proposition that moderates have some advantage over extremists (albeit not in primaries).
So, imagine my surprise after reading a study of local party leaders by David Broockman, also of Stanford, and colleagues. They found that county party chairs preferred candidates who were ideologically extreme over moderates. CONTINUED
Mark Mellman (Mellman Group), The Hill
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