Authoritarian nostalgia amid radical right platforming and normalization

Despite a robust correlation between authoritarian nostalgia and support for the radical right, we know little about how these processes feed into one another. This paper assesses top-down pathways in which platforming and normalizing the (nostalgic) radical right affect attitudes towards the authoritarian past. Drawing on original surveys in Spain (N=1596) and Portugal (N=1613), it finds that while radical right voters tend to be the most nostalgic, they do not see their party as a manifestation of the old regime. However, after considering the party's glorification of the past, respondents with pre-existing affinities towards the party are more likely to parrot its nostalgia. It then shows that a credible manipulation in the perceived normalization of the radical right does not change levels of authoritarian nostalgia. These results underscore the polarizing effects of platforming nostalgic elites while also falsifying the assumption that the normalization of these parties always leads to greater take-up of their ideas. The findings contribute to debates around the erosion of historical ``immunity'' to radical right success as well as literature on social norms and public opinion formation.