The Informational Role of Party Leader Changes on Voter Perceptions of Party Positions

Abstract

According to spatial models of elections, citizen perceptions of party policy positions are a key determinant of voting choices. Yet recent scholarship from Europe suggests that voters do not adjust their perceptions according to what parties advocate in their campaigns. This article argues that voters develop a more accurate understanding of parties’ ideological positions following a leadership change because a new leader increases the credibility of party policy offerings. Focusing on Western European parties in the 1979–2012 period, it shows that having a new leader is a necessary condition for voters to more accurately perceive the left–right placements of opposition parties. Voters do not use party platforms to form perceptions of incumbent parties’ positions, regardless of whether the leader is new or veteran. These results have important implications for models of party competition and democratic representation.

The Mobilizing Effect of Parties' Moral Rhetoric

“…It shows that rhetoric is an important campaign tactic that has been overlooked in the comparative parties literature that focuses mostly on left–right position taking. By studying the way in which political arguments are made, my article advances our understanding of whether party messages matter—a question of considerable debate (Adams, Ezrow, and Somer‐Topcu ; Fernandez‐Vazquez ; Fernandez‐Vazquez and Somer‐Topcu ). I show that they do, at least as far as party rhetoric is concerned: the rhetoric that parties use to frame their messages has consequences for voter behavior.…”

“…First, it pushes the boundaries of comparative party research by examining the use of moral rhetoric. It has implications for existing work on whether party messages matter (Adams, Ezrow, and Somer-Topcu 2011;Fernandez-Vazquez 2014;Fernandez-Vazquez and Somer-Topcu 2019), our understanding of the non-ideological dimension of party competition (Adams and Merrill 2009;Schofield and Sened 2006;Stokes 1992), and the dichotomy of value-based versus economic issue competition (De La O and Rodden 2008;Stegmueller 2013b;Tavits and Letki 2014;Tavits and Potter 2015). Second, my article contributes to previous work on morality and politics (Clifford and Jerit 2013;Clifford et al 2015;Lipsitz 2018;Ryan 2014Ryan , 2016 by extending this area of research to the party level and beyond the United States into a comparative context.…”

Simple politics for the people? Complexity in campaign messages and political knowledge

“…In general, studies suggest that voters adapt their perceptions of political parties in line with their positional shifts (Adams et al 2011;Fernàndez-Vàzquez 2014;Fernàndez-Vàzquez & Somer-Topcu 2017;Somer-Topcu 2017). In general, studies suggest that voters adapt their perceptions of political parties in line with their positional shifts (Adams et al 2011;Fernàndez-Vàzquez 2014;Fernàndez-Vàzquez & Somer-Topcu 2017;Somer-Topcu 2017).…”

“…Scholars increasingly aim to understand not only which strategies parties pursue, but also how voters' perceptions of parties are affected by these strategies. In general, studies suggest that voters adapt their perceptions of political parties in line with their positional shifts (Adams et al 2011;Fernàndez-Vàzquez 2014;Fernàndez-Vàzquez & Somer-Topcu 2017;Somer-Topcu 2017). Recent studies emphasise that other strategies by political parties such as broadening their issue appeal have tangible consequences for voters' perceptions of parties.…”

Do Voters Polarize When Radical Parties Enter Parliament?

“…Our findings highlight that newsworthy, legitimizing events such as elections have a focusing impact, perhaps leading voters to update their views more than after other, more subtle shifts. Elections, like leadership changes (Fernandez‐Vazquez and Somer‐Topcu ; Somer‐Topcu ), manage to cut through the broader political debate and reach the general public. However, we also show that the informational, legitimizing effect of radical party entry may well be conditional on the existence of a taboo concerning a party's views and an ostracization of the party itself (Van Spanje and Van Der Brug ).…”