Publication Date

2025

Abstract

The question pursued in my research paper is this: Does the proliferation of extreme political discourse fuel party polarization along party lines in the United States? I hypothesize that the greater the number and the more extreme the tone of political statements made by powerful figures within a party, the greater the level of polarization between and within the parties. These powerful figures stand out in this work as discursive entrepreneurs, individuals utilizing and proliferating extreme discourse for strategic and ideological gain. A thorough analysis was completed on four recent eras of Republican control in Congress: the John Boehner era (2011-2015), the Paul Ryan era (2015-2019), the Kevin McCarthy era (2023), and the Mike Johnson era (2023-Present). By examining the rising influence of the Tea Party/House Freedom Caucus, and the Republican speakers' loss of control in terms of both strategic and ideological imperative, the Republican party is found to be moving in the direction espoused by far-right Republican discourse entrepreneurs. A 15% shift to the right in the overall Republican caucus shows that extreme political discourse is playing a major role in the American party polarization dilemma. This result is applied to two congressional districts in Wisconsin to show how Trump and those in his sphere of influence may bring about a new Republican party that will shift the way we view realignment.

Disciplines

Political Science

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