Historical Memory and Radical Right Voting: Vox and the Legacy of Francoism

Do radical right parties need to detach themselves from the legacy of past right-wing authoritarian regimes to be successful? Estimating the reputational cost, if any, of being associated with anti-democratic regimes is difficult in observational research due to social desirability biases and the rhetorical ambiguity of party elites. We test the support for Franco’s regime and the impact of his historical legacy among voters of a newly established radical right party in Spain, net of other ideological traits like xenophobia or anti-feminism. The results of a well-powered, preregistered endorsement experiment reveal strong sympathies for the Franco regime among radical right voters and show that positive attitudes toward Francoism constitute the main difference with mainstream right electorates. Our study suggests that the detachment between newer radical electorates and past authoritarian regimes is not a necessary condition for their success.