Indeed, most political science supports the opposite conclusion. Almost all politics is local.
Interesting. I'd say all the very toxic politics is non-local. The local stuff might be more, but it's mostly mundane.
Which makes sense. My city and county representatives can't get away with passing something wildly unpopular that >> 50% of local people hate. While it's far from perfect, there is a reasonable amount of accountability with local politicians.
Federal-level politicians though, are so far removed from the people they purportedly represent and their election is so heavily gerrymandered that they are untouchable. They can get away with serving only special interests and passing laws which most people hate.