Andrew Thompson, a 2015 graduate of Marquette University and an assistant professor of Political Science at George Washington University, recently published a study in the journal Political Behavior. The study, titled "Defending the Dog Whistle: The Role of Justifications in Racial Messaging," considers why political elites continue to use racial messaging in political despite recent social movements and possible shifts in Americans' attitudes about race. The results of two survey experiments suggest that elite justification for racialized rhetoric bolster public support for their messaging among White participants, and do not incur political costs.