Intersectional issue framing: A study of women of color candidates' 2020 congressional campaign agendas

Abstract

Research has found that women of color political candidates are more likely to discuss issues of race and gender compared to their white, male counterparts. Yet there is still limited empirical research examining the nuance and variation in how women of color incorporate intersectionality in their campaign rhetoric. This study conducts content analysis of 91 Black and Latina women Democratic candidates? policy positions during the 2020 House of Representatives political race, examining how they discuss intersectionally marginalized groups in their campaign agendas. A mixed-methods approach was used to provide insight into how women of color use intersectional frames in their campaign agendas to address the concerns of intersectionally marginalized groups. Quantitative analysis was conducted using both a Binary Logit model and negative binomial models to test how district-level and candidate-specific characteristics influenced whether candidates used intersectional issue framing to discuss their policy positions. Qualitative analysis was conducted by examining the various issue domains which women of color candidates tended to frame intersectionally. This project contributes to an understanding of how women of color engage in intersectional issue advocacy in the electoral arena before entering political office.