Is There a Policy-Identity Representation Trade-off?

Are some voters willing to trade off concerns with policy and identity representation when evaluating political candidates? We conceptualize both policy and identity representation in spatial terms. We examine the utility of our conceptual framework by applying it to recent US presidential elections. In line with our theoretical expectations, we find that Black voters, and especially those who identify strongly with their racial group, not only care less about policy representation than White voters but are also more willing to trade off lower levels of policy representation for increased identity representation. Our theoretical framework has important implications for how representation scholars should model the effects of policy and identity on candidate evaluation at election time. Empirically, our analyses contribute to the growing body of evidence showing that the electoral calculus and representation priorities of Black voters in the US are different from those of White voters.