Political Rhetoric Typology in the 2022 US State Legislative Elections

Abstract

This study examines political campaign videos from winning candidates in contested state legislative races during the 2022 US election, and compares typology of political topics and personal characteristics communicated b y each candidate. 172 candidates were selected for the study across forty-three states . Transcripts of each candidate’s video were categorized pertai ning to political/societal topics, personal characteristics/attributes, mentions of national narratives, and mentions of bipartisanship or mending the political divide. Key findings show Republicans were 9.6 times more likely to invoke national political narratives whereas Democrats were 4.3 times more likely to reference phrases of bipartisanship. Further, the most commonly mentioned political topics for Democrats were education, abortion rights, and gun violence/safety compared to that of Republicans being education, taxes, and law enforcement. Additionally, the study suggests Republicans focus more on ascribing personal characteristics in their campaign videos whereas Democrats focus more on emphasizing societal outcomes.