How members and elites make sense of ideological change: Natural evolution, pragmatic adaptation, or betrayal in the (Northern) League

How do party members and representatives make sense of ideological change? This article tackles this question by studying one of the most important party transformations in contemporary European politics: the shift of the (Northern) League from populist regionalism to populist radical right politics under Matteo Salvini. Drawing on 60 semi-structured in-depth interviews with members and representatives, the analysis identifies three recurrent narratives: natural evolution (the national turn as the completion of the federalist project), pragmatic adaptation (change as electorally and strategically necessary), and betrayal (a rupture with the founding identity). The survival of the residual Padanian identity is no longer sustained by ideology, but loosely surfaces in rituals such as the annual gathering at Pontida, where it is blended with the state-wide symbolism. The findings suggest that the mass party model has facilitated the transformation while preventing overt infighting. This invites further research into the interpretive work during party change.