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It's Not Race, It's Politics! A Natural Experiment Examining the Influence of Race in Electoral Politics*

Social Science Quarterly

Published online on

Abstract

Objective Minority candidates for office must overcome numerous hurdles in order to win elective office, with one such hurdle being the racial resentment of voters. This article tests the impact racial resentment has on white support for a minority candidate in relation to a similar white candidate. Method This article employs a natural experiment provided by the 2014 South Carolina Senate elections. Examining these elections, this article examines what impact a voter's racial resentment has on his or her support for the two candidates. Results The results show that voters who score highly on the racial resentment scale are just as likely to support a minority Republican as they are to support a white Republican. Conclusion These findings indicate that racial resentment scores may not adequately measure a person's true feelings on race, particularly when the minority candidate is a Republican.