Political campaigns have always used sex to gain votes, whether implicitly or explicitly. Sexual scandals are particularly useful because they can be manipulated to suit different agendas.
When President Bill Clinton was accused of having an affair with Monica Lewinsky, he became more popular among women voters while Hillary became less popular. By contrast, when former Senator John Edwards admitted to fathering a child with Rielle Hunter, his support dropped sharply. In recent years, however, there has been an increase in political campaigns using sexual scandals as a tool for setting legislative priorities. This is especially true in the United States where politicians are often scrutinized by journalists and investigated by law enforcement agencies.
Here's how it works: When a politician gets caught up in a scandal, their opponents may try to capitalize on it by introducing new laws that would make them accountable. These laws might include increased regulation of personal relationships, such as mandatory marriage counseling before entering office or stricter background checks for potential partners. Alternatively, they could focus on issues related to the specific type of scandal involved, like banning all media coverage of private lives or imposing limits on what kinds of photos can be taken without consent.
Some politicians use their own scandals as a way to push through certain policies that they otherwise wouldn't be able to get passed.
Republican Senator David Vitter tried to introduce a bill after being exposed as a client of prostitutes, which would have made it illegal to solicit sex workers online.
Of course, not all political campaigns benefit from this strategy - some may actually lose votes if they seem too focused on sexual matters. But those who do gain traction with this approach tend to win big at election time.
President Donald Trump won despite facing multiple accusations of sexual assault and harassment because he appealed to voters who felt overlooked by traditional politicians. In short, while there's no doubt that sex sells, using sexual scandals to set legislative priorities requires careful planning and execution.
How do political campaigns use sexual scandals to set legislative priorities?
Political campaigns often exploit sensationalist media coverage of sexual scandals to advance their agendas by setting new legislative priorities that serve to further alienate politicians from voters. This can be seen as an attempt to distract attention away from more pressing issues and redirect it toward moral panics about sex, gender roles, family values, and personal responsibility.