The study asks why some members of Congress use personal attacks and what they gain. A team including Marc Jacob of the University of Notre Dame analyzed public statements from the 118th US Congress (January 3, 2023 to January 3, 2025). They linked these statements to media coverage, campaign finance and election results. The researchers used a large language model to tell apart policy debate and personal attacks.
They found that personal attacks bring much more media coverage but do not increase fundraising, vote margins, legislative success or personal wealth. Attacks were more common among Republicans than Democrats and more common in the House than the Senate. Frequent attackers also did less policy work. The authors warn that a media attention economy that rewards conflict can weaken democratic norms.
Difficult words
- personal attack — An insulting remark about a person or grouppersonal attacks
- media coverage — Reporting about events on TV, radio, or online
- campaign finance — Money and donations for political campaigns and elections
- legislative success — Getting laws or policy goals passed by lawmakers
- attention economy — A system where media rewards conflict and attention
- large language model — A computer program that analyzes and writes text
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Discussion questions
- Do you think the media should give a lot of attention to personal attacks? Why or why not?
- How do frequent personal attacks affect a lawmaker's policy work?
- Have you seen political personal attacks in the news? How did they make you feel?
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