Dictionary definition of “Bradley effect”

Bradley effect

n. the difference between the number of people who vote for a black candidate and those who say they will or would. Subjects: English, Politics, Race

Editorial Note: The first citation is a nonce usage that refers to Bill Bradley, Democratic senator from New Jersey, instead of to Tom Bradley, former Democratic mayor of Los Angeles.

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Citations: [1984 New York Times (Oct. 31) “For the 99th Congress”: The Bradley Effect in New Jersey…In states where a tide seems to be running for President Reagan, Democratic candidates worry about the coattail effect on their races. In New Jersey, Democrats feel the protection of a reverse effect: Senator Bill Bradley. Though just finishing his first term, Senator Bradley has achieved an extraordinary popularity rating that approaches 70 percent.] 1989 Gary Langer @ New York (Associated Press) (Nov. 8) “Election Poll Problems: Did Some Voters Lie?”: In Virginia, “I think a lot of people cast their votes on race, and it’s something that’s not easily measured by polls,” said pollster Brad Coker. “People are not going to freely admit they’re racists to strangers.” The theory even has a name: “The Bradley effect,” for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, a black Democrat who led in the polls in his 1982 race for governor only to lose narrowly to his white opponent, George Deukmejian. 2002 Buffalo News (New York) (Jan. 20) “Does McCall Have A Chance?” p. H1: Virtually all of the undecided white Democrats and Independents broke for the GOP candidate. Pollsters began to call this phenomenon—white voters who tell interviewers they are undecided and then vote 10-1 against a black candidate—the “Bradley effect.” 2006 Ellis Cose Newsweek (Oct. 30) “The ‘Bradley Effect’”: The phenomenon was first widely noted in 1982, when Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley lost a squeaker of a race for governor after being widely projected as the winner. Douglas Wilder also came up against the “Bradley Effect” when he barely won the 1989 contest for governor of Virginia, after leading comfortably in the polls.

Posted 6 Nov 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend