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Eighty elected leaders and 388 followers were sampled to test the relationships between leaders’ emotional intelligence and the quality of leader-member exchange. Results of the field study found a significant relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence (total) and leader-member exchange quality. Specific subscales of emotional intelligence were also predictive of leader-member exchange theory. Leaders’ empathetic response and interpersonal skills each correlated with leader-member exchange. Implications and directions for research are discussed.