INVERTED MOBILIZATIONS: PRO- AND ANTI-IMMIGRANT ACTIVISM IN ORANGE COUNTY

Pro-immigrant advocates mobilizing in Orange County, California, between 2010 and 2018 had access to more financial and organizational resources than anti-immigrant advocates. Despite these advantages, the anti-immigrant side achieved more policy wins in Orange County. This paper argues that the case of Orange County indicates inverted mobilizations, where asymmetries on the other side counterbalance asymmetries on one side. Anti-immigrant advocates achieved more policy wins despite their disadvantages regarding financial and organizational resources because they could rely on firm support from conservative elected officials. This paper suggests that divergence between the Republican and Democratic parties— a where the Republican party has increasingly turned into a movement party, while the Democratic party has mostly maintained conventional ties to activists—increases the likelihood of inverted mobilizations occurring.