paradigm for at least 20 years now. We often have fights with some economists who embrace rational choice. What these economists tend to get wrong time and time again is that they assume that with perfect information, voters will make the right choices. Some political scientists argue that if having information is the only ingredient for making good decisions, then why is it that so many poor folks vote Republican, essentially voting against their own economic interest, lured by social wedge issues. Political scientists also question the source of information itself. We all know that voters seek out information that most confirm what they already believe. And even when presented with irrefutable facts, there are at least 20-25% of voters who will still vote against their own economist interests.
And then, there are voters who are easily swayed by provocative media, such as campaign slogans and ads, repeated memes, and attack advertising. Negative ads do work and have worked for a long time. If people were truly rational, they would avoid being compelled by any negative campaign ad and do their own research.
And finally, election after election, voters give Congress very low job approval ratings, and yet, they tend to love their own Representative or Senator. This phenomenon is also baffling to us political scientists. Even when pressed, voters reelect these politicians over and over again, regardless of how they feel about Congress as a whole. Most of it can be explained by these politicians being able to brag about "pork projects" and other "goodies" that they bring home to their constituents. When pressed, however, voters don't seem to care that their Representative/Senator puts about 1/3 of the work hours that the average American worker puts in. And voters don't recognize the irreplaceable job of legislative researchers, aids, and assistants. Legislators don't write bills, nor do they even know what's in bills most of time, though they may often think of an idea for a proposal. But they are educated by their LA's and researchers.
To be fair, behavioral economists have begun to challenge The Rational Man paradigm that has dominated the discipline for over a century. And behavioral political scientists have tended to side with this emerging discipline.
At any rate, there is a schism within the political science community, but the rational choice paradigm is losing its prominence and is no longer the dominant theory of political behavior.
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