Book contents
- Black Voices in the Halls of Power
- Cambridge Studies in American Legislatures
- Black Voices in the Halls of Power
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Pushing the Agenda or Reacting to the Moment
- 3 Who Racializes? Exploring the Demographic Factors of Members of Congress Who Provide Racial Rhetorical Representation through an Intersectional Perspective
- 4 The Highs and the Lows
- 5 Crystal Clear
- 6 Depth and Breadth
- 7 Not All Talk Is Cheap
- 8 Can Racial Rhetorical Representation Improve Approval Ratings?
- 9 What If It Fails? Is Rhetorical Representation without Legislation Valuable in the Eyes of the Constituents
- 10 Conclusion
- Book part
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - Can Racial Rhetorical Representation Improve Approval Ratings?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 December 2025
Book contents
- Black Voices in the Halls of Power
- Cambridge Studies in American Legislatures
- Black Voices in the Halls of Power
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Pushing the Agenda or Reacting to the Moment
- 3 Who Racializes? Exploring the Demographic Factors of Members of Congress Who Provide Racial Rhetorical Representation through an Intersectional Perspective
- 4 The Highs and the Lows
- 5 Crystal Clear
- 6 Depth and Breadth
- 7 Not All Talk Is Cheap
- 8 Can Racial Rhetorical Representation Improve Approval Ratings?
- 9 What If It Fails? Is Rhetorical Representation without Legislation Valuable in the Eyes of the Constituents
- 10 Conclusion
- Book part
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
In Chapter 8, we use an experiment which presents a large sample of Black and White respondents with a press release from a hypothetical politician. The press release differs by whether it discusses a non-racial liberal issue (climate change), a high-profile racial issue (police reform), and a low-profile racial issue (manufacturing employment discrimination). We also vary the race of the hypothetical politician. The results demonstrate that racial rhetorical representation improves perceptions of both Black and White politicians among African Americans. However, White elected officials benefit most from speaking about lower profile racial issues. This demonstrates that the form of racial outreach that White elected officials are the least likely to engage in may help them the most with Black people. Qualitative responses reveal that Black respondents perceive more policy congruence, empathy, and trust in Black elected officials when they engage in both forms of racial rhetorical representation. However, Black respondents are much more trusting of White politicians to follow through their rhetoric with action when it is tied to a low-profile racial issue.
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- Black Voices in the Halls of PowerRace and Rhetorical Representation in Congress, pp. 149 - 170Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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