Online Candidate Incivility in the 2020 Congressional Elections

• In Event: Elite Communication: Congress, Candidates, and Experts

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the extent and causes of political incivility among Congressional candidates in the 2020 election cycle, focusing specifically on which types of candidates were most likely to use uncivil language and the electoral effects that this language may have ultimately produced. Based on a comprehensive analysis of all tweets sent by major party candidates in the 2020 House and Senate races, the results suggest that challengers were more likely than incumbents to use uncivil rhetoric and this was especially true in uncompetitive districts. Additionally, candidate extremity was strongly related to incivility, with more extreme candidates being more prone to using uncivil rhetoric. Importantly, the results also suggest that incivility begets incivility, with candidates whose opponents used higher rates of incivility also being more likely to use incivility themselves.

Notably, while more uncivil candidates received greater levels of campaign contributions, their fortunes on election day were not improved relative to baseline expectations. Collectively, this points to incivility being a viable tool for candidates focused on engagement rather than persuasion. Generally, this work provides timely insight into the causes and consequences of increasing elite incivility, and the results of this study have important implications for our understanding of changing Congressional communications styles and the particular effects of electoral conditions on online campaign communications.

Author

• Michael Heseltine, American University