Ethno-Racial Appeals and the Production of Political Capital: Evidence from Chicago and Toronto

Abstract

Ethno-racial appeals mobilize individuals through their social categories. Such appeals matter especially in municipal elections, where partisan cues are often absent and turnout is low. This article presents findings from an analysis of ethno-racial appeals in 914 campaign documents from the 2014 Toronto and 2015 Chicago municipal elections. It reveals that campaigns frequently target non-White and White ethnic voters through explicit appeals. These appeals do not fit into the existing framework of racial priming theory. Drawing instead on Bourdieu’s theory of capital, the article conceptualizes ethno-racial appeals as attempts to produce or destroy a candidate’s political capital among specific groups. Campaigns do this directly by making claims about the group’s purported interests or indirectly by invoking candidates’ relevant cultural or social capital. Analyzing ethno-racial appeals in this way helps to comprehend the mobilization of non-Whites, illuminates the production of ethno-racial voting, and contributes to the understanding of place-based culture.