| Sumario: | When successful, careerist politicians perform to persuade multiple audiences that they embrace shared values and policies, creating identities appealing to each: fragmented performances create valued fragmented reputations. Problems arise, however, when audiences are connected and adaptive performances can be undercut. Although a singular, "authentic" persona is the ideal, managing divergent dynamic relationships can be advantageous in navigating a divided political landscape as long as the personas remain separate. Examining how politicians cultivate relationships with distinct audiences, we explore their electoral viability while gaining national influence despite serving groups with conflicting values and policy preferences. Considering fragmented performances in a complex institutional field, we investigate three Southern politicians who acquired extensive influence during the progressive Roosevelt administration, serving FDR, while maintaining appeal among local voters by embracing government-enforced segregation. These senators—Carter Glass of Virginia, Joseph Robinson of Arkansas, and James Byrnes of South Carolina—balanced "home-style" racial politics with ties to Roosevelt. In Byrnes's case, we examine the limits of serving multiple audiences, when audience connections generated insurmountable stigma. We identify three strategic roles embraced by segregationist politicians in their targeted performance, each gaining Roosevelt's favor: the friend (cultivating congeniality), the agent (displaying loyalty), and the confidante (inspiring trust).
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