Solidarity as a bridge: Shared discrimination is indirectly associated with voting intentions among People of Color

Accumulating research shows that perceiving shared discrimination among racially minoritized groups fosters solidarity between people of color (PoC), which in turn increases support for pro-minority policies. The present study tests whether this pattern extends to political behavior by examining voting intentions—a key precursor to voter mobilization. We conducted three parallel survey experiments with nationally representative samples of Black (N = 850), Latino (N = 850), and Asian American (N = 850) adults three weeks before the 2024 U.S. presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald J. Trump. Shared discrimination appeals increased solidarity uniformly across racial groups but did not directly affect voting intentions. Instead, solidarity mediated the effect of shared discrimination on intentions to vote for a PoC representative and for Harris. However, Harris’s avoidance of identity-based appeals meant she was not perceived as a clear PoC representative. Among Black voters in particular, shared discrimination was more strongly associated with intent to vote for a candidate seen as advancing PoC interests than for Harris. These findings suggest that shared discrimination appeals may not directly shift electoral intentions but can indirectly influence political engagement by activating a broader sense of cross-racial solidarity among PoC.