Examining the Role of Wedge Issues in Shaping Voter Behavior

Insights From the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14422/cir.i27.y2023.006

Keywords:

Elections, COVID-19, race issues, prestige of the political institutions, discourse, wedge issues

Abstract

Every presidential election is shaped by determinant wedge issues, issues that are intentionally constructed to divide and polarize the electorate. When used correctly by candidates, these issues have the potential to mobilize the electorate towards one party or another. The U.S. presidential election of 2020 was characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crisis resulting from it, accusations of electoral fraud and high levels of misinformation, as well as police brutality against minorities. This situation left a highly divided country and an electorate disappointed with the political institutions. The overall objective of this research is to explain the impact on voter mobilization, primarily, the impact wedge issues play, with the three specific issues of the campaign being: race issues, the prestige of the political institutions, and COVID-19.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

BBC News. (2020). US election 2020: What are Trump’s and Biden’s policies? https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54507550

BBC News. (2020a). Coronavirus: US protests against and for lockdown restrictions. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-52344540

BBC News. (2020b). Ruth Bader Ginsburg death: Trump to nominate woman to fill Supreme Court seat. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54216710

BBC News. (2020c). Black Lives Matter: cómo tres mujeres crearon un movimiento mundial a partir de una etiqueta de redes sociales. BBC News Mundo. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-55124765

BBC News. (2021). Asalto al Capitolio: las pistas sobre cómo el ataque no fue tan espontáneo (y las sospechas de que hubo ayuda desde dentro). BBC News Mundo. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-55671725

Budge, I. (2015). Issue Emphases, Saliency Theory and Issue Ownership: A Historical and Conceptual Analysis. West European Politics, 38(4), 761-777. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2015.1039374

Budiman, A. (2020). Key facts about Black eligible voters in 2020 battleground states. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/10/21/key-facts-about-black-eligible-voters-in-2020-battleground-states/

Campbell, J. E. (2016). Appendix A Partisanship in the American Electorate. In J. E. Campbell (ed.), The American Campaign: U.S. Presidential Campaigns and the National Vote (p. 336). Texas A&M University Press.

Cilluffo, A., & Fry, R. (2020). An early look at the 2020 electorate. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/01/30/an-early-look-at-the-2020-electorate-2/

CNN. (2021). National Results 2020 President exit polls. https://edition.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results/6

Deane, C., & Gramlich, J. (2020). 2020 election reveals two broad voting coalitions fundamentally at odds. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/06/2020-election-reveals-two-broad-voting-coalitions-fundamentally-at-odds/

Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1995). Attitude Strength, Attitude Structure, and Resistance to Change. In R. E. Petty & J. A. Krosnick (eds.), Attitude Strength: Antecedents and Consequences. Erlbaum.

Gerhart, A. (2020). Trump’s challenges to election results: What they are and what could happen. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/interactive/2020/election-integrity/

Gilberstadt, H., Hartig, H., Jones, B., Dunn, A., Doherty, C., Kiley, J., Daniller, A., Van Green, T., & Gomez. V. (2020). Voters’ attitudes about race and gender are even more divided than in 2016. Pew Research Center. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/1426133/voters-attitudes-about-race-and-gender-are-even-more-divided-than-in-2016/2040515/

Gramlich, J. (2020). What the 2020 electorate looks like by party, race and ethnicity, age, education and religion. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/26/what-the-2020-electorate-looks-like-by-party-race-and-ethnicity-age-education-and-religion/

Hill, E., Tiefenthäler, A., Triebert, C., Jordan, D., Willis, H., & Stein, R. (2021). How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html

Hernandez, S., Manley, B., O’Key, S., & Pettersson, H. (2020). Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-us-maps-and-cases/

Hobolt, S. B., De Vries, C. E., & van de Wardt, M. (2014). Exploiting the Cracks: Wedge Issues in Multiparty Competition. The Journal of Politics, 76(4), 986-999. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022381614000565

King, L. (2021). Friday’s attack is the latest violence at the US Capitol, the site of shootings, bombings and riots over the last 50 years. USA Today. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/02/us-capitol-attack-latest-incident-violence-capitol-building/7068556002/

Lakoff, G. (2004). Don’t think of an elephant! Know your values and frame the debate: the essential guide for progressives. Chelsea Green Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520928077

Lakoff, R. (2000). The language war. University of California Press.

Mitchell, A., Jurkowitz, M., Baxter Oliphant, J., & Shearer, E. (2020). Majorities of Americans Say News Coverage of George Floyd Protests Has Been Good, Trump’s Public Message Wrong. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/06/12/majorities-of-americans-say-news-coverage-of-george-floyd-protests-has-been-good-trumps-public-message-wrong/

O’Keefe, D. J. (2002). Persuasion: Theory and Research. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications.

Oppel, R. A., Taylor, D. B., & Bogel-Burroughs, N. (2021). What to Know About Breonna Taylor’s Death. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-taylor-police.html

Peterson, M., & Fayyad, A. (2017). The Irresistible Effectiveness of Wedge Politics: Using divisive issues to win elections might create incremental but meaningful change. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/membership/archive/2017/12/the-irresistible-effectiveness-of-wedge-politics/547946/

Petrocik, J. R. (1996). Issue Ownership in Presidential Elections, with a 1980 Case Study. American Journal of Political Science, 40(3), 825-50. https://doi.org/10.2307/2111797

Pew Research. (2016). Top voting issues in 2016 election. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2016/07/07/4-top-voting-issues-in-2016-election/

Pew Research. (2020). Important issues in the 2020 election. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/13/important-issues-in-the-2020-election/

Pew Research. (2021). Economy and COVID-19 Top the Public’s Policy Agenda for 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/01/28/economy-and-covid-19-top-the-publics-policy-agenda-for-2021/

Pew Research. (2021a). Strengthening the economy and dealing with coronavirus stand out as the public’s top priorities. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/01/28/economy-and-covid-19-top-the-publics-policy-agenda-for-2021/pp_2021-01-28_policy-priorities_00-01/

Sardarizadeh, S., & Lussenhop, J. (2021). Asalto al Capitolio: Los 65 días que desembocaron en el caos en Washington. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-55613105

Schaul, K., Rabinowitz, K., & Mellnik, T. (2020). 2020 turnout is the highest in over a century. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/elections/voter-turnout/

Shepherd, K. (2020). Tensions over restrictions spark violence and defiance among protesters as Trump pushes states to reopen. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/13/protest-violence-coronavirus/

Shields, T. G., & Hillygus, D. (2008). Candidate Strategy in the 2004 Campaign. In T. G. Shields, & D. S. Hillygus (eds.), The Persuadable Voter: Wedge Issues in Presidential Campaigns (pp. 145-182). Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400831593-009

Stokes, S. C. (1999). Political Parties and Democracy. Annual Review of Political Science, 2(1), 243-67. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.2.1.243

Urra, S. (2021, January 7). An assault against US democracy. El País. https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-01-07/an-assault-against-us-democracy.html

U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). Record High Turnout in 2020 General Election. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/record-high-turnout-in-2020-general-election.html

Weaver, D. (1991). Issue Salience and Public Opinion: Are there consequences of Agenda-Setting? International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 3(1), 53-68. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/3.1.53

Wiant, F. M. (2002). Exploiting Factional Discourse: Wedge Issues in Contemporary American Political Campaigns. Southern Communication Journal, 67(3), 276-289. https://doi.org/10.1080/10417940209373236

Downloads

Published

2023-07-21

How to Cite

Ramos Martínez, C. (2023). Examining the Role of Wedge Issues in Shaping Voter Behavior: Insights From the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Comillas Journal of International Relations, (27), 101–121. https://doi.org/10.14422/cir.i27.y2023.006