Responsive rhetoric: Evidence from congressional redistricting

Abstract

Do representatives change their messaging to match the partisanship of their district? Prior studies of Congressional communication reveal a correspondence between district and member partisanship, but rely on cross‐sectional comparisons that do not distinguish between the role of electoral selection versus re‐election incentives. In this paper, we address this gap using decennial redistricting, examining how the partisan extremity of members' social media posts changes when they are redistricted into more partisan or more moderate districts. We find clear evidence of rhetorical responsiveness to the new constituency. Additional analyses show that rhetorical responsiveness complements roll call responsiveness, but is greater in magnitude. We argue that rhetorical responsiveness is normatively complex, potentially aiding representational processes but also possibly contributing to affective polarization. An examination of changes in specific word usage following redistricting supports the latter concern.