The politics of polarization: strategic issue emphasis in campaigns

This paper examines electoral competition through a formal model in which parties seek voter support by raising the salience of policy issues. Using this framework, the analysis asks whether parties are more likely to emphasize issues marked by divisions among voters but agreement among parties, or issues marked by disagreement between parties despite broad voter consensus. The results indicate that parties have no incentive to promote issues where their positions coincide, even when citizens are divided, but they do devote attention to issues where they hold distinct positions, even when voters largely agree. These incentives imply that the electoral agenda reflects partisan conflict more than mass divisions, and also help to explain why some policies remain off the electoral agenda even when a majority of citizens favors change. The analysis highlights how strategic issue emphasis by parties can shape the content of electoral competition and contribute to the polarization of discourse in the political system.