The plight of the discredited: electoral effects of stigmatizing and prosecuting an anti-immigration politician

The emergence of anti-immigration parties in mature democracies has triggered various reactions. These reactions, including stigmatization of these parties and prosecution of their members for hate speech, may have unintended consequences. What are the effects of these responses on the electoral support for these parties? Using an experimental approach, we confront a sample representative of the Dutch electorate with one of six versions of a manipulated news video about a new anti-immigration party. We find that stigmatization of the party reduces the propensity to vote for that party, and even more so if it is mentioned that a prominent member is prosecuted for hate speech than if not. Either way, the effect is moderated by anti-immigrant attitude and mediated by the party’s perceived legitimacy.