Why did so many of Latin America’s leftist presidential hopefuls win at the turn of the twenty-first century? Why were they successful at breaking with their neoliberal political establishments when other leaders were not? For five of these leftists, antibusiness sentiment—not just frustration with political failures—boosted support. It catalyzed a backlash against the economic conditions and U.S. architects of neoliberalism to tip the electorate in favor of leftist candidates. It did so even as antibusiness sentiment did little for the parties of seven leftist presidential contenders who lost in that same period. These results align with Gramsci’s assessment that left electoral success hinges on breaking through the “common sense” narratives that otherwise occlude the capitalist interests undergirding establishments and thereby preserve class hegemony.
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