Understanding The Coattail Effect: A Concise Guide

The coattail effect is a form of bandwagoning, in which voters support a candidate or measure because they believe it is the winning side. A coattail effect occurs when a less popular candidate or measure benefits from the popularity of a more popular candidate or measure on the same ballot. The coattail effect is a phenomenon whereby a political candidate or leaders popularity leads to improved vote totals for fellow party candidates further down the ballot. A coattail refers to a part of the coat extending below the waist that provides extra coverage. In the 2016 presidential election, for example, the republican establishment became increasingly concerned about its candidates for u. s.

Democrats, meantime, had their own polarizing candidate to worry about: The coattail effect describes the ability of popular political candidates to attract electoral support for other candidates of the same party. Electoral studies, the coattail effect occurs when voters' support for the winning presidential candidate carries over to congressional candidates who share the former's policy preferences and most often party affiliation; Consequently, marginal legislative contenders are able to win seats. A popular runner for president draws previous.