A newly published research note sheds light on the reach of populist rhetoric in U.S. politics, challenging the notion that Donald Trump’s 2016 election sparked a widespread populist shift across all levels of government. The study introduces the U.S. Governors Populism Database (USGPD), the first comprehensive quantitative tool for measuring populism in speeches by state governors.
Analyzing 400 speeches from 100 gubernatorial terms across all 50 states, researchers found that while Republican governors generally use more populist language than Democrats, this trend existed before Trump’s presidency and did not significantly increase after his election. The findings suggest that the presence of a populist figure at the national level does not necessarily trigger a similar wave at the state level. The study offers a valuable new lens for understanding how populism operates within the layered structure of American governance.