This paper addresses two research questions. First it examines why and how the populist radical right mobilizes the anti-immigrant vote. And, second, it scrutinizes the extent to which populist radical right parties mobilize so-called “racist” voters. One contention is that right wing parties are extremist and they, therefore, mobilize racist inclined voters. The other is that the populist radical right is successful since it feeds off of mainstream fears regarding immigration. In other words, the populist radical right is successful since it taps into fears that largely conform to broader European values and trends (Mudde 2007). The paper combines a demand-side with a supply-side analysis. It begins with an examination of larger trends regarding sentiments towards immigrants. Earlier studies demonstrate that the large majority of anti-immigration sentiments do not lie at the extremes: either strongly in favour of immigrants, or strongly opposed to immigrants. Rather the lion’s share of voters lies in the “undecided” middle (Thalmhammer 2001). 2) It will examine the major issues that concern Europeans regarding immigration, i.e. earlier studies focus on questions of crime and security (Rydgren 2008). 3) It will isolate the major concerns of populist radical right voters regarding immigration. The question is whether populist radical right voters differ radically from the broader concerns of European voters, or whether they largely fall within the confines of mainstream fears towards immigration and its imagined or real consequences. The second part of the paper will then focus on the discourse (supply side) of the populist radical right, examining how the parties frame immigration. We conduct a content analysis of the party platform of populist radical right parties. This analysis will focus on two aspects of the populist radical right’s discourse regarding immigration. First it will isolate the issues that the populist radical right emphasizes, and second, it will examine the extent to which these frames can be classified as radical or extreme. The paper concludes with an analysis of the demand and the supply-side results in order to answer the above stated research questions: 1) to explain how and why the populist radical right mobilizes the anti-immigrant vote, and 2) to assess the extent to which successful mobilization is based upon racism and extremism. Cited Works: Mudde, Cas. (2007) “The populist radical right: A pathological normalcy,” Willy Brandt Series of Working Papers in International Migration and Ethnic Relations, 1-18. Rydgren, Jens. (2008) “Immigration skeptics, xenophobes or racists? Radical right-wing voting in six West European countries,” European Journal of Political Research 47: 737-65. Thalmhammer, Eva, Vlasta Zucha, Edith Enzenhofer, Brigitte Salfinger, and Günther Orgis. Attitudes Towards Minority Groups in the European Union: A Special Analysis of the Eurobarometer 2000 Survey. Vienna: SORA 2001.
