Continuing our “Democratic Erosion” miniseries of essays, Rachel Risoleo takes a look at the concept of incumbency advantage, arguing that this concept can help us explain the successful political candidacies of nonincumbent popular icons like Donald Trump in the United States and Jimmy Morales in Guatemala. She argues that celebrities who run for office are able to draw on advantages that are similar to those enjoyed by incumbent politicians, including name recognition, high levels of media exposure, and voters’ preference to identify with individual politicians.
Rachel Risoleo
Rachel Risoleo is a senior at Brown University, where she studies political science with a focus on international and comparative politics. She is particularly interested in how social and cultural trends impact governance and the ways in which media influences political outcomes. At Brown, Rachel is a section manager at the Brown Political Review, as well as a trip leader and program manager for Brown’s outdoor leadership program. This summer, Risoleo is working in Brooklyn, NY, at Legal Hand Crown Heights, a walk-in legal resource center, where she provides free legal information, assistance, and referrals to residents of the local community.