THE POLISH AMERICAN VOTE IN THE 2024 US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: HISTORY, EVIDENCE, IDENTITY

This article examines the Polish American vote in the 2024 US presidential election.First, it examines the history of the Polish American vote and considers whether there is still such a thing as a Polish American electorate.Then, utilizing a theory of identity priming, we test whether then-Vice President Kamala Harris's direct appeal to Polish American voters worked.The sample utilized consists of 1,278 students at a large Midwestern university, of whom nearly ten percent identify as Polish American.The results suggest some significant political differences between the Polish American and other respondents, including reactions to the Harris appeal.The paper concludes with a discussion of how the Polish American identity is maintained, through a theory of latent ethnicity.