BLM in the Battleground: An Analysis of Racial Justice-Related Election Ads in Georgia

Brianna Mebane

Brianna Mebane is a rising senior in the Class of 2022. Born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, she graduated from Greens Farms Academy prior to arriving at Wesleyan, where she is currently pursuing a double major in English & Computer Science. Outside the classroom, she serves on the board of Ujamaa (Wesleyan’s Black Student Union) and works at the Resource Center. After graduating from Wesleyan, Brianna hopes to continue studying computer science in either a master’s or Ph.D. program.

Abstract: The 2020-2021 Senate elections in Georgia proved to be an historic moment in politics, with the state electing its first pair of Democratic senators since 2005, one of whom was Georgia’s first Black senator. In the midst of a year plagued with news of police-related deaths of people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, activists and organizers like Stacey Abrams and LaTosha Brown toiled to mobilize Black voters in Georgia, with their work helping to both elect Joe Biden and place Democrats in control of the Senate. The current study analyzes the creative text of Facebook ads run by both presidential and Georgia senatorial candidates to determine how they discussed racial justice during the 2020 election season. Using methods of structural topic modeling (STM) and keyword search, this research will add to the pre-existing field of political ad analysis, specifically as it pertains to how politicians engage with topics like race and racial justice.

Video:

Brianna Mebane (QAC).

Mebane_BLM-in-the-Battleground

Live Poster Session:
2:45pm-3:45pm EDT
Zoom Link: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/99352738945?pwd=QVlOeWR1YkVMWmRBK0VHSzB1N2Y2QT09