Claims of Victimhood Shield Politicians from Political Scandals

Political scandals can shape entire elections and political structures within society. Scholars have long pointed to different strategies politicians use to respond to such scandals, finding strategies like denying may be more effective than apologizing. However, in recent years, politicians are increasingly responding to accusations of scandal by emphasizing how they (or their political in-group) have been victimized. These victimhood strategies may be highly effective by garnering sympathy and reducing blame, but have yet to be studied in political scandal research. Across four studies in the United States (N = 3,013), we show that when politicians respond to scandal accusations by emphasizing their own (or their political in-group’s) victimhood, participants see them as more moral and less responsible for the scandal. Additionally, people are sympathetic to politicians emphasizing victimhood. Victimhood strategies do not reduce (and in fact, often enhance) competency evaluations, potentially making these strategies especially effective and attractive for politicians. While responding by highlighting victimhood is less beneficial than denial, victimhood strategies positively benefit reactions to scandalized politicians with people from across the ideological spectrum and work similarly well for male and female politicians. These findings underscore how responding to a scandal with victimhood can significantly and positively influence the public’s perceptions of a scandalized politician, highlighting the powerful influence of victimhood in political scandal research and political communication more broadly.