ABSTRACT
The 2022 primary election cycle saw deepening intraparty cleavages among Democrats and Republicans alike. In Democratic contests the narrative of progressive vs. “establishment” candidates, which became prominent in 2018, continued for another election cycle. Among Republicans, the refusal of many candidates to accept the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results and the direct intervention of former president Trump in many contests caused the party to fracture further. For Republicans in particular, the denial of the legitimacy of the 2020 results appears to be a new intraparty cleavage not seen in previous cycles. In this way the factional dynamics in both parties, made visible in congressional primaries, reflect the continuing trend of asymmetric polarization in the modern era.
