Still Pissed? Congressional Candidates' Emotional Appeals on Twitter”

• In Event: The 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections on Twitter

Abstract

Congressional candidates use Twitter to connect with voters, and political stalemates over inflation, reproductive rights, and the lasting impact of Trump politics are bolstering candidates’ emotionally charged rhetoric on Twitter. In a political environment where one tweet can set off a firestorm, the power of anger to spread rapidly and virally has made frustrated and fear-inducing rhetoric the norm for congressional campaigns. We use a dataset of tweets by candidates for the U.S. House from 2016-2022 to determine the escalating anger in the emotional appeals candidates make on Twitter. We find differences in angry rhetoric across party, gender, and electoral security — patterns that persist over time. Our research offers insight into how anger has become central to online messaging.

Authors

• Annelise Russell, University of Kentucky

• Heather Evans, University of Virginia's College at Wise

• Bryan Gervais, University of Texas at San Antonio