#12031. Getting Tough on China: Are Campaign Ads a Signal of Future Policy or Just Cheap Talk?

November 2026publication date
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Journal’s subject area:
Sociology and Political Science;
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Abstract:
Is tough-on-China campaign rhetoric cheap talk or a signal of policy attention? Analyzing China-related campaign advertisements during the 20XX midterm elections and subsequent cosponsorship of China-related bills, we find that campaign ads are a noisy predictor of legislative attention. Challengers who attacked on China were more likely to cosponsor China-related legislation, while incumbents who were attacked for being soft on China took tougher positions on China after reelection. By demonstrating the correspondence between anti-China campaign appeals and subsequent legislative attention, our findings add to a growing body of evidence linking campaign rhetoric to members’ legislative agendas. This research note provides the first evidence demonstrating the connection between campaign appeals and legislative attention on a foreign policy issue like China.
Keywords:
Bill sponsorship; campaign advertising; campaign promises; China; congressional elections; legislative attention

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