Democrats and Republicans equally willing to stick with candidate who breaks democratic norms, study finds


About 3.5 percent of Americans would defect from their favorite political candidate if that person does something that breaks democratic norms, a new study published in the American Political Science Review from Yale University's Matthew Graham and Milan Svolik found. That's a pretty small amount for a country where the traditional answer to the question of whether democracy is a good thing is almost certainly a yes, Svolik told The Atlantic.
Graham and Svolik achieved their results after asking 1,691 people if they would turn on a democracy-bashing candidate they otherwise found to represent their own opinions on most political matters, but the 3.5 percent figure, it turns out, is actually backed by a real-life example, as well. In 2017, a day before Montana's congressional election, Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mt.) assaulted a journalist after growing irritated with his questioning. Voters who took to the polls the next day would likely have been aware of the incident, while those who mailed in their ballots would have done so before the anti-democratic action took place, The Atlantic notes. Gianforte, who won the election, received about 3.6 percent fewer in-person votes, which is right in line with the Yale study.
The responses in the Yale study were not partisan, however. Moderates, on both the left and right, were most likely to turn on candidates in equal measure, while Democrats and Republicans were equally willing to ignore anti-Democratic actions, Svolik said. Read more at The Atlantic.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Critics' choice: 2025 James Beard Award winners
Feature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
How will Trump's spending bill impact student loans?
the explainer Here's what the Republicans' domestic policy bill means for current and former students
-
Can the US economy survive Trump's copper tariffs?
Today's Big Question The price hike 'could upend' the costs of cars, houses and appliances
-
Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'
speed read The president also agreed to sell NATO advanced arms for Ukraine
-
IDF blames 'error' for strike on Gaza water line
Speed Read Israeli forces attack Palestinians, including children, collecting water in central Gaza
-
Iran still has enriched uranium, Israeli official says
Speed Read It remains unclear how long it would take Iran to rebuild its nuclear program following US and Israeli attacks
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.