Democratic Capitalism in Politics

I. Executive Summary

The political geography of the U.S. House has shifted fundamentally. We are no longer operating in a system where candidates race to the center to capture the "median voter." Instead, as illustrated by Figure 6 of the Robust Electoral Competition analysis, the House has become bimodal: the center has hollowed out, leaving two distinct, polarized peaks of ideology.

For a candidate running under the banner of "Democratic Capitalism," this presents a unique danger and a unique opportunity. The danger is the "Centrifugal Trap"—forces that pull candidates toward the extremes to survive primaries. The opportunity lies in the data showing that this polarization is driven more by elites and "policy demanders" than by the primary voters themselves.

This briefing outlines the structural forces at play (Cox et seq.) and provides specific coping strategies to maintain your brand integrity without sacrificing electoral viability.