ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the original research about social and democratic norms and the 2020 election, originally published as a special issue of The Journal of Political Marketing. The 2020 election and early 2021 saw events marking the erosion of democratic norms. In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, then President Trump spread unfounded rumors about potential election fraud, culminating in widespread belief among Republicans that the 2020 election was stolen. The most prominent figure who violated democratic norms and spread misinformation about the 2020 election was undoubtedly the former president. Considering elites beyond the former president, experts have predicted increasing deployment of “constitutional hardball” tactics, including gerrymandering, refusing to certify election results, and increased restrictions on the vote. While the results are suggestive, future work should explore the relationship between affective polarization and support for the democratic norms.
