In 2022, Paul Pelosi was attacked in his own home by conspiracy theorist David DePape. DePape was looking to find Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, to “break her kneecaps” if she did not answer his questions.
The attack was fueled by DePape watching hours of political commentary and right-wing conspiracies in the days leading up to the attack. This is what inspired Erin Cassese, an associate professor of political science at the university, to research political ads vilifying women in positions of political power, especially Nancy Pelosi.
At her Carter Series lecture, “Vilifying Nancy Pelosi: Representations of Women Leaders in U.S. Congressional Campaign Ads” on Oct. 15, Cassese explored the attack ads and how they disproportionately affect female politicians.
“The attack on Paul Pelosi got me thinking, and a lot of the reporting that came out, trying to explain what happened,” Cassese said. “I wanted to dig into the data and ask, not just how often is [Pelosi] showing up in these attack ads, but how is she showing up? What do those representations look like?”
Cassese and her team watched a multitude of political ads to study how often Pelosi was mentioned in them, along with the nature of those mentions.
Research found that Pelosi had become a deeply pervasive figure in American politics.
During the event, Cassese presented her findings that Pelosi’s rise to polarization can be linked to former President Donald Trump’s attacks on her, with Republican politicians using her in ads and on social media as an example of everything wrong with the Democratic party.
Cassese’s research found that in ads for the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2020, Pelosi appeared in 1,572 ads, or 9.16%. This is a staggering amount compared to the next most prevalent woman in political ads, Hillary Clinton, who appeared in 127 ads (0.74%).
The majority of these depictions were unflattering, with Republican politicians lauding Pelosi as a “controlling, dangerous liberal.”
Some audience members were aware that there was violence against women in political positions, but having evidence to validate their thoughts made them feel more confident that it was a prevalent issue.
“She used very valuable statistical evidence to support [her claims],” Lily Cloyd, senior political science and public policy double major, said. “I think that’s something that we need more of in this culture, having the actual data to back up things that we do kind of speculate in everyday life.”
Student attendees also emphasized that research into political violence against women feels very relevant as of late.
“This research really couldn’t have come at a more pressing time with a woman running for our highest leadership position, it’s really important to be aware of the violence against women,” Krista Fuentes, senior political science major, said.
Cloyd agreed, asserting that it is important to remember how violence could be “exacerbated by a woman in an even harder role.”
Cassese emphasized that her research, which she said was incentivized by the urge to “raise awareness” and show that “representation matters,” is particularly topical given the current political climate.
“I’ve noticed a lot of ads that are kind of anti-trans with Harris,” Cassese said. “So, I mean, it’s still thinking about gender, right?”
According to Cassese, her research proves that women in politics are more scrutinized than their male counterparts, which she says shows the courage it takes for a woman to bear a career in modern politics.
“I think that Nancy Pelosi has shown tremendous courage in persisting in the face of all of the threats and harassment that she gets, and in the face of the attack on her husband,” Cassese said. “We don’t give some of these women leaders enough credit for the courage it takes and the toll that it takes on them as well.”