Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability
What happens when a traditional source of political capital becomes a health hazard? Stigmatized electoral practices, such as vote buying, are a double-edged sword: While these strategies may signal candidates’ electoral strength, they may also entail reputational costs. In normal times, street camp...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Politics in Latin America |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/1866802X211058739 |
| _version_ | 1818855615181619200 |
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| author | Mariana Borges Martins da Silva Malu A. C. Gatto |
| author_facet | Mariana Borges Martins da Silva Malu A. C. Gatto |
| author_sort | Mariana Borges Martins da Silva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | What happens when a traditional source of political capital becomes a health hazard? Stigmatized electoral practices, such as vote buying, are a double-edged sword: While these strategies may signal candidates’ electoral strength, they may also entail reputational costs. In normal times, street campaigns are a non-stigmatized electoral practice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, they imposed health risks. Employing data from a national survey experiment conducted in Brazil prior to the 2020 municipal elections ( N = 2025), we extend research on the employment of stigmatized campaigns and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability. We find that voters evaluate candidates who engage in face-to-face activities as less electorally viable and report lower intent to support them. These dynamics do not impact all candidates equally: Voters more harshly punish women candidates who conduct street campaigns than men, leading women to lose the advantage they have over men when both employ non-stigmatized campaign practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:11:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6a1e229124f4aaeb853102e81baddbb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1866-802X 1868-4890 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:11:25Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Politics in Latin America |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6a1e229124f4aaeb853102e81baddbb2022-12-21T20:29:37ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Politics in Latin America1866-802X1868-48902021-12-011310.1177/1866802X211058739Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral ViabilityMariana Borges Martins da Silva0Malu A. C. Gatto1 Department of Politics and International Relations, , Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK , London, UKWhat happens when a traditional source of political capital becomes a health hazard? Stigmatized electoral practices, such as vote buying, are a double-edged sword: While these strategies may signal candidates’ electoral strength, they may also entail reputational costs. In normal times, street campaigns are a non-stigmatized electoral practice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, they imposed health risks. Employing data from a national survey experiment conducted in Brazil prior to the 2020 municipal elections ( N = 2025), we extend research on the employment of stigmatized campaigns and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability. We find that voters evaluate candidates who engage in face-to-face activities as less electorally viable and report lower intent to support them. These dynamics do not impact all candidates equally: Voters more harshly punish women candidates who conduct street campaigns than men, leading women to lose the advantage they have over men when both employ non-stigmatized campaign practices.https://doi.org/10.1177/1866802X211058739 |
| spellingShingle | Mariana Borges Martins da Silva Malu A. C. Gatto Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability Journal of Politics in Latin America |
| title | Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability |
| title_full | Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability |
| title_fullStr | Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability |
| title_short | Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability |
| title_sort | stigmatized campaign practices and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/1866802X211058739 |
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