Minority Threat, Social Control, and Voting Patterns for Authoritarian Candidates

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

While it is not unusual for a presidential nominee to be a polarizing figure, it is rare that an individual can inspire so much controversy within his or her own party. Donald Trump has been a particularly divisive nominee, begging questions about his unique patterns of support. This project evaluates the relevance of several theories of social control in regards to popular support for an authoritarian leader, Donald Trump. Given Trump's strong anti-minority rhetoric and portrayal of immigrants as criminals, we expect support for Trump may be more common where there is an increased minority presence. Using county-level data from the United States presidential primaries, we examine several demographic, cultural, and socio-economic factors associated with high levels of support for Trump.

Authors

• Laura M. DeMarco, The Ohio State University

• Trent Steidley, University of Denver