Victims of Their Own Making?

The Democratic Risks of Strategic Victimhood in Political Scandals

Abstract

Political scandals have long functioned as key mechanisms of democratic accountability. However, the rise of social media has fundamentally altered how political actors respond to scandal. This article introduces strategic victimhood as an increasingly prominent response strategy, in which scandalized politicians portray themselves as victims of—rather than as perpetrators of—wrongdoing. Drawing on comparative examples across political systems and ideologies, we synthesize recent research to explain why victimhood claims resonate with both supporters and, in some cases, opponents. We highlight key psychological mechanisms underlying this appeal, including motivated reasoning, psychological reactance, and moral heuristics centred on harm and suffering. While strategic victimhood can yield short-term reputational benefits for individual politicians, we argue that its widespread use poses significant long-term risks for democratic accountability by undermining trust in media, judicial institutions, and the normative foundations of political responsibility.