UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE Capture or Be Captured: Movement-Party Relationships and the 2016 Presidential Election DISSERTATION submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Sociology by Megan E. Brooker Dissertation Committee: Professor David S. Meyer, Chair Professor David John Frank Professor Edwin Amenta Associate Professor Lisa Leitz Associate Professor Michael Tesler 2019 Chapter 4 © 2018 Oxford University Press All other materials © 2019 Megan E. Brooker DEDICATION To my mother, Lisa, who taught me that the pursuit of knowledge is a worthy endeavor. “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” – Abigail Adams “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES v LIST OF TABLES vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii CURRICULUM VITAE viii ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION xiii INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter Overview 4 CHAPTER 1: The Movementization of Politics 7 Social Movements and Institutional Politics 7 Social Movements and Political Parties 9 Social Movements and Elections 18 Contributions and Limitations 24 Research Design 26 Case Background and Justification 39 CHAPTER 2: From Dog Whistles to Bullhorns: Electoral Incorporation of Black Lives Matter and White Nationalism 50 How Social Movement Incorporation Challenges Median Voter Theory 54 Measuring Incorporation 60 Comparing Incorporation 64 Explaining Incorporation 125 Discussion and Conclusion 150 CHAPTER 3: The Obergefell Effect: Electoral Incorporation of LGBTQ Rights and the Christian Right 154 How Social Movements Capture or Become Captured by Political Parties 161 Comparing Incorporation 170 Movement Endorsements and Electoral Strategies 212 Voting Trends and Public Opinion 230 Discussion and Conclusion 232 CHAPTER 4: Indivisible: Invigorating and Redirecting the Grassroots of the Anti-Trump Opposition 235 Deinstitutionalization, Political Context, and the Repertoire of Contention 239 Indivisible’s Place in the Resistance 242 Explaining Indivisible’s Evolution 249 iii The Battle Over Health Care 252 What’s Next for Indivisible? 256 Conclusion 263 CONCLUSION 267 REFERENCES 278 iv LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 Indivisible MDI sign 236 Figure 2 Processes of Institutionalization and Deinstitutionalization 241 Figure 3 Map of Indivisible Local Affiliates, December 2017 248 v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1 Data Sources Used to Measure Incorporation 28 Table 2 Thresholds of Incorporation 29 Table 3 Process of Coding and Data Analysis 30 Table 4 Key Organizations and Individuals by Movement 30 Table 5 Case Comparison by Key Factors 40 Table 6 Democratic Candidate Comparison on Black Lives Matter Agenda 76 Table 7 Republican Candidate Comparison on White Nationalist Agenda 110 Table 8 Rhetorical Comparisons on Building a Wall 120 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor and committee chair, David S. Meyer, who has continually supported me throughout my graduate school journey. Thank you, David, for always combining constructive feedback with unwavering encouragement. Your guidance and mentorship have been (and will continue to be) pivotal to my achievements. I would like to thank my committee members, David John Frank, Lisa Leitz, Edwin Amenta, and Michael Tesler, whose comments will prove invaluable as I continue to revise this work. Thank you, David, for advocating for both my scholarship and my teaching, and imparting wisdom that has helped to improve both. Thank you, Lisa, for modeling how to succeed as a woman in academia and for trusting me to lead my own classroom. Thank you, Edwin and Michael, for your thoughtful feedback on how to enhance both my theoretical and empirical arguments. I am grateful for the helpful feedback I have received from other colleagues including Catherine Bolzendahl, who served on my dissertation prospectus committee, and the participants of the Social Movements/Social Justice Workshop, who read several drafts of my work over the past six years. Thank you also to Danny Mann and the Pedagogical Fellows Program, for the opportunity to join a teaching community, and to Shani Brasier and the Center for the Study of the Democracy, for supporting my research pursuits. I would like to express my wholehearted appreciation to the Wileys – Brian, Lindsay, Aveline, and Nolan – for welcoming me with open hearts and always treating me like family. Your friendship means the world to me and I couldn’t have made it through graduate school without your perpetual support. I am thankful for the support, feedback, and encouragement from my cohort mates and colleagues in the Sociology Department. A special thank you to Alma Garza, Julie Kim, and Jolene McCall, I’m honored to call you friends and appreciate your encouragement throughout this journey. Thank you to Jason Mueller and Aaron Tester, whose work ethics inspire me. Thank you to Hector Martinez and Jenny Ng, for taking care of my fur baby while I attended conferences and job interviews. And thank you to Katelyn Malae and Alexandra Maresca, for reminding me why I came to graduate school in the first place. I offer my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my family for standing by me throughout this journey. Thank you to my mother, Lisa; my father, Mike; my sister, Cyndi; and my brother Travis for supporting me through the ups and downs. I hope I’ve made you proud. Last, but not least, thank you to Doogie, who has walked beside me every step of the way. Who rescued whom remains up for debate. vii CURRICULUM VITAE Megan E. Brooker EDUCATION Ph.D. Sociology, University of California Irvine 2019 Dissertation: “Capture or Be Captured: Movement-Party Relationships and the 2016 Presidential Election” Committee: David S. Meyer (chair), David John Frank, Edwin Amenta, Lisa Leitz, and Michael Tesler M.A. Sociology, University of California Irvine 2015 Thesis: “Social Movement Interdependence: Contextualizing the Rise and Aftermath of Occupy” M.P.A. Public Affairs, Washington State University 2010 Thesis: “Iraq Veterans Against the War in the Obama Era: How the Obama Administration Has Affected the Goals, Strategies, Tactics, and Perceived Level of Success of IVAW” B.A. Anthropology, Haverford College 2005 Minor: Sociology Concentration: Peace and Conflict Studies Thesis: “Acclimatizing to the Altitude: Nepali Women’s NGOs as Social Movement Organizations” Study Abroad via Cornell University: Cornell-Nepal Study Program, Kirtipur and Kathmandu, Nepal, Fall 2004 PUBLICATIONS Brooker, Megan E. 2018. “Indivisible: Invigorating and Redirecting the Grassroots.” Pp. 162- 184 in The Resistance: The Dawn of the Anti-Trump Opposition Movement, edited by David S. Meyer and Sidney Tarrow. Oxford University Press. *Recipient of the 2018 Robin M. Williams Jr. Paper Award, UCI Department of Sociology Brooker, Megan E. and David S. Meyer. 2018. “Coalitions and the Organization of Collective Action.” Pp. 252-268 in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Social Movements, edited by David A. Snow, Sarah A. Soule, Hanspeter Kriesi, and Holly J. McCammon. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. viii MANUSCRIPTS IN PROGRESS Brooker, Megan E. “Iraq Veterans Against the War in the Obama Era: How Political Allies Stimulate Organizational Decline.” Brooker, Megan E. “Obscured Continuity: How Activist Spillover Links Occupy to Other Movements.” Brooker, Megan E. and David S. Meyer, “Raising and Sustaining Public Attention: Tea Party and Occupy Protest Mobilization and Agenda Setting.” FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS External Sources 2014 Honorable Mention, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) University of California Irvine Sources 2019 Fellowship in Honor of Christian Werner, School of Social Sciences, Spring Quarter 2018 Public Impact Fellowship, Graduate Division 2018 Pedagogical Fellowship, Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation 2018 Brython Davis Fellowship, Graduate Division, Spring Quarter 2017 Social Science Merit Fellowship, School of Social Sciences, Fall Quarter 2017 Social Science Merit Fellowship, School of Social Sciences, Winter Quarter 2016 Kugelman Research Fellowship, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding 2016 Summer Incentive Funding, Associate Dean of Social Sciences 2016 Brython Davis Fellowship, Graduate Division, Spring Quarter 2015 Brython Davis Fellowship, Graduate Division, Spring Quarter 2015 Associate Dean’s Fellowship, School of Social Sciences, Winter Quarter 2014 Social Science Merit Fellowship, School of Social Sciences, Spring Quarter 2014 Dean’s Recruitment Fellowship, Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs, Winter Quarter 2013 Podlich Fellowship, Center for the Study of Democracy, Fall Quarter ix CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS 2019 “From Dog Whistles to Bullhorns: Race, Movements, and the 2016 Presidential Election.” Mobilization Conference on Social Movements and Nonviolent Protest. San Diego State University, San Diego, CA: May 10-11. 2019 “From Dog Whistles to Bullhorns: Race, Movements, and the 2016 Presidential Election.” Young Scholars Conference. University of Notre Dame, Center for the Study of Social Movements, Notre Dame, IN: May 4-5. 2018 “Indivisible: Invigorating and Redirecting the Grassroots.” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. “Revisiting Threats & Grievances in the Trump Era” panel. Philadelphia, PA: August 11-14. 2018 “Discursive Governance, Racial Signaling & the Normalization of Hate: Race, Movements, and the 2016 Presidential Election.” Mobilization Conference