Two regrettable remarks by members of Congress in Trump rallies over the weekend highlight the racially charged rhetoric creeping into midterm campaigns. First, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) equated Black people to criminals in a rant casting Democrats as pro-crime extremists. Not to be outdone, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) went on an anti-immigrant diatribe that blatantly referenced the great replacement theory.
Andrew Thompson, assistant professor of political science at the George Washington University, studies the concept of "demographic determinism," which inaccurately assumes that a more diverse population will guarantee electoral dominance for the Democrats. He found that the Republicans he surveyed increasingly supported authoritarian and anti-democratic candidates whenever the subject of demographic change came up. Professor Thompson is available to comment on the controversial comments from the past weekend and the potential for more explosive rhetoric as campaign season heats up.
If you would like to schedule an interview with Professor Thompson, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].