Extremist rhetoric and electoral success
With the last post I looked at Donald Trump’s use and attitude toward social media while in Office. I’ll widen the perspective to social media and the wider rhetoric used by Republican candidates since Trump has left office. It provides perspective on the continuation of similar approaches to social media, that Trump’s election and usage of social media was not just a notable outlier.
Notable obvious points of analysis for this extremism are Covid denialism as well as candidates increased belief in electoral fraud. Particularly looking at the use of social media for extremist rhetoric as it can explain the election defeats in swing states. This being demonstrated in leaning into election denial through social media
For example, in Maryland there was a significant Republican defeat due to promoting extremist rhetoric through social media1 and running a Far-Right figure in Cox. This being massively out of touch with their voter base and claiming the vaccine is ‘experimental.’ and taking hard anti vaccine mandate stances being the obvious examples. This being repeated throughout his campaign.
While the Republicans similarly underperformed in winnable seats, as they leaned into extremist election denying rhetoric and covid denial. With defeats in the Gubernatorial elections in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan as well as in the Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania senate races where all candidates promoted the claim the 2020 election was fraudulent.
However, we can look at the fact there was some success in Republican leaning states. Trump endorsed candidate in Ohio (J.D. Vance) won his seat in the Senate as well winning a competitive primary while denying the 2020 election results. However, this is relevant with the fact Vance’s social media was not promoting the extremist rhetoric/beliefs via social media. Instead arguing the regular campaign attacks that his opponent that they’re ‘a fake moderate' and more economic arguments. However, it does point to social media as successful again in presenting the message.
While most successful with the use of such extremist rhetoric is Governor Ron DeSantis. He was re-elected with increased support in the Mid-terms while he overperformed the Republicans significantly. Specifically, utilising social media for the overrepresenting of extremist rhetoric. For example, presenting tax breaks for certain kinds of stoves as a victory for individual freedoms– ‘Don’t tread on Florida, and don’t mess with gas stoves!’ This highlights the centring of social media with a much more culture war-oriented approach. Also, it’s partly designed to pick up traction and drive engagement with how it can present a completely forgettable point. Democrats saying the use of the ‘gas stove’ is worse for the climate being framed as a culture war issue and to keep it in the news with framing it as important.
Social media is more an active point of DeSantis’s approach here as part of the rhetoric, partly this has been seen as positioning himself as the heir to Trump and pushing similar extremist rhetoric. For example, referencing a ‘biomedical security state.’ When announcing restrictions on what covid preventative and vaccine related measures can be introduced. Specifically arguing with extremist rhetoric that people needed to be ‘protected’ from the state implying it’s a threat.
The use of extremist rhetoric has been on the whole less successful in the elections since the Trump Presidency. Given the fact extremist rhetoric had less popular support since. With the use of social media in the approach to the rhetoric more evident in the successes of DeSantis and Vance in to how to present your desired message well. Most recently there’s been some notable electoral successes but there was a trend towards election defeats or declining support. Which points to the extremist rhetoric as a losing issue, but it was more successful in solidly red states. However, there has been a greater use of social media, but not purely for the rhetoric, with some degree of range in messaging presented.