Sympathy for the devil? Voter support for illiberal politicians

Abstract Many democracies are witnessing the rise and continuing success of parties politicians who oppose fundamental principles liberal democracy. Recent research finds that voters support illiberal politicians, because they trade off policy congruence against attitudes toward Other studies, however, suggest authoritarian populist might actually have a preference to vote for candidates. We argue both factors interact: Authoritarian more willing representation To test this mechanism, we rely on survey experiment conducted in Germany. The results clearly demonstrate indeed Moreover, effect is particularly strong voters. Overall, important implications understanding when which or