Replication Data for: Does Mainstream Populism Work? Populist Rhetoric and the Electoral Fortunes of Mainstream Parties

Much work is concerned with the effects of mainstream parties accommodating the
positions of populist radical right parties. Little is known about the role of political
rhetoric in mainstream party responses to radical right challengers though. This is a
significant gap given the evident shifts in mainstream party discourse across European
democracies. Using a pre-registered survey experiment in Germany, I analyse
how voters react when mainstream parties engage in populist rhetoric and adopt
radical right issue positions. Theoretically, I propose that voters, particularly those
with populist attitudes, may use populist rhetoric as a heuristic when evaluating
parties. I find that, in line with spatial theories of voting, voters penalize or reward
mainstream parties based on their adoption of radical right positions, but that
the use of populist rhetoric does not significantly impact voter evaluations. These
findings demonstrate the relevance of programmatic party strategies in mainstream-challenger competition and cast doubt on the effectiveness of populist rhetoric.