6 - Anger and Voter Loyalty

Summary

This chapter shows that, when they are angry, voters are more likely to vote for their own party’s presidential candidate. This chapter further shows that, in an era of nationalized politics, anger toward the opposing party’s presidential candidate can lead to voter loyalty in subpresidential (e.g., House and Senate) elections. Moreover, I show that anger leads to a higher probability of a voter casting a straight-ticket ballot for his or her party. In sum, this chapter shows that an angry voter is a loyal voter.