Bellodi, L., Román, A., De Vries, C.
Group membership plays a crucial role in political conflict, with candidates frequently using group appeals to mobilize voters. However, the factors influencing candidates’ decisions to employ such appeals remain insufficiently understood. This study develops an argument rooted in the notion that candidates selectively deploy group appeals to maximize electoral returns and introduces a novel method for detecting group appeals in text, which is applied to the universe of tweets posted by U.S. House candidates between 2012 and 2021. This study reports three findings. First, candidates’ group membership and their district's demographic composition are strongly associated with the frequency of group appeals. Second, protest events associated with specific groups increase appeals to those groups. Third, except for young voters, there is limited evidence that these appeals enhance turnout intentions. These findings offer new insights into how politicians strategically engage underrepresented groups in the electorate, contributing to our understanding of identity-based political mobilization.
ALONSO ROMÁN AMARALES
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