The Not-So-Negative Effects of Extremity: An Experimental Test of the Relationship between Candidate Quality and Ideology.

This paper uses experimental methods to test how labeling a candidate as an extremist affects evaluations of that candidate as honest, hard working, competent, and overall favorable. My results show that contrary to expectations, ideological extremity actually increases the likelihood that an individual rates that candidate more highly than his opponent. The implication of this finding is that there is something about an extreme stance that voters appreciate and reward, and that a vast amount of research relating candidate quality and ideology still remains to be done. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]