It is widely accepted in most democracies that party leaders have a right to control the process of nominating candidates for elective office. Here in the United States, however, this proposition is not merely controversial but downright unpopular. … Even the hint that superdelegates might exercise their voting rights under […] Read more »
New study of 381,000 political speeches finds that liberals use more complex language than conservatives
… As earlier findings indicate, our research shows that politicians from socially liberal parties use more complex language than politicians from socially conservative parties. We analyzed 381,609 speeches delivered by politicians from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. These speeches include not only those of 12 prime […] Read more »
From Fox News to Viral Views: The Influence of Ideological Media in the 2018 Elections
The 2018 elections marked a notable increase in the influence of ideological media over both major American parties. Conservative media sources, led by Fox News Channel, further solidified their power within the Republican Party, main-taining their traditional role of informing and mobilizing Republican voters while extending their reach to become […] Read more »
All the Best Polls Agree with Me: Bias in Evaluations of Political Polling
Public opinion polls play a central role in American politics–they dominate headlines, shape candidate messaging, and inform the electorate. Given the potential impact of polls on political decision making, it is important to understand how the public makes sense of polling results. On what basis does the public decide whether […] Read more »
The Deepening ‘Racialization’ of American Politics
… Heading into the 2020 election, President Trump is prepared for the second time in a row to run a racist campaign. He continues, for example, to denigrate, in virulent terms, immigrants from Mexico and Central America. At the same time, Democrats are doubling down on a racially liberal political […] Read more »
Can a senator be nominated and win the White House?
The abundance of sitting senators running for president seems to confirm the old joke that a senator looking into a mirror sees a future president. But it doesn’t say much about whether the Senate is a good springboard to the White House. Historically, it has not been. CONT. Stuart Rothenberg, […] Read more »