Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections: Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns PDF
Preview Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections: Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns
i “Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections deepens our understanding of the social, psycho- logical, and racial context surrounding the election of minority candidates. It is a must- read for those interested in American electoral politics.” Jas M. Sullivan, Louisiana State University “Truly pathbreaking candidates do not come along often. When they do, we need to understand how they campaign, mobilize support, and, if elected, do their work as representatives. This volume does that important work and should be read by scholars and politicians alike.” John M. Sides, Vanderbilt University “This important and intersectional text moves beyond the Historic Firsts of Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama to offer superb analysis of gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral historic firsts. The authors brilliantly demonstrate the limits as well as achievements of descriptive and sub- stantive representation for historic candidacies across race, ethnicity, and gender. Simien’s influential theory of symbolic empowerment undergirds this volume which helps to frame how scholars and practitioners should consider both multi- racial and multiethnic constituencies in American behavioral studies. This is an essential text for anyone who seeks to better understand electoral outcomes via an intersectional lens.” Nadia E. Brown, Georgetown University ii iii HISTORIC FIRSTS IN U.S. ELECTIONS Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections:Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns examines barrier- breaking figures across various types of elective offices and constituent groups. The moment in which historic firsts enter the electoral arena, and the unique campaigns that ensue, are shown to be symbolically empowering. These change agents on the campaign trail become lighting rods for more liberal policies, and their candidacies are tied to questions of representation, electability, and performance. The distinctive combinations of race, ethnicity, and gender identities represented here translate into voter excitement to go to the polls and participate in other ways. Original chapters by respected scholars and practitioners consider how recent breakthrough elections are similar to yet different from past elections for gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral offices. The shadow of Donald Trump’s wildly unconventional U.S. presidency looms over this groundbreaking analysis, linking local to national level politics. For students of politics across the curriculum, this book expands the theoretical capacity of intersectionality research and links it to voter mobilization and electoral success Evelyn M. Simien is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Indigeneity, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (IREP) master’s degree program at the University of Connecticut. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University and specializes in intersectionality research, African- American politics, public opinion, and political behavior. iv RACE, ETHNICITY, AND GENDER IN POLITICS AND POLICY In collaboration with the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Social Sciences at Duke University Series Editors: Kerry L. Haynie and Paula D. McClain www.routledge.com/ Race- Ethnicity- and- Gender- in- Politics- and- Policy/ book- series/ REGPP This series is devoted to publishing studies that examine and explain the dramatic transformations in race, ethnicity, and gender politics over the past decade. We wel- come work that highlights and analyzes the ways that race, ethnicity, and gender – and especially, their various intersections – interact to shape political institutions, individual attitudes and behaviors, social norms, and the policy-m aking process. Books in the series will include original scholarly research, core textbooks, sup- plementary topical books, and reference works. Titles in the Series Black Politics in Transition Immigration, Suburbanization, and Gentrification Edited by Candis Watts Smith and Christina M. Greer Latinas and the Politics of Urban Spaces Edited by Sharon A. Navarro and Lilliana Patricia Saldaña Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns Edited by Evelyn M. Simien v HISTORIC FIRSTS IN U.S. ELECTIONS Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns Edited by Evelyn M. Simien vi Cover image: Official Photo of Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D- Massachusetts), courtesy of United States Congress; Official Photo of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D- MN05), courtesy of United States Congress; Official photo of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D- MI), courtesy of United States Congress; Photo of London Breed, courtesy of City of San Francisco; Photo of Andrew Gillum, courtesy of City of Tallahassee. First published 2022 by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 and by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Evelyn M. Simien, individual chapters, the contributors The right of Evelyn M. Simien to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Simien, Evelyn M., 1974– editor. Title: Historic firsts in U.S. elections : trailblazing candidates in gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral campaigns / edited by Evelyn M. Simien. Other titles: Historic firsts in United States elections Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. | Series: Race, ethnicity, and gender in politics and policy | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2021051845 (print) | LCCN 2021051846 (ebook) | ISBN 9781032101569 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032101521 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003213925 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Elections–United States–History–21st century. | African American politicians–History–21st century. | Women politicians– United States–History–21st century. | Legislators–United States– History–21st century. | Governors–United States–History–21st century. | Mayors–United States–History–21st century. Classification: LCC JK1965 .H564 2022 (print) | LCC JK1965 (ebook) | DDC 324.973–dc23/eng/20211130 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021051845 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021051846 ISBN: 978- 1- 032- 10156- 9 (hbk) ISBN: 978- 1- 032- 10152- 1 (pbk) ISBN: 978- 1- 003- 21392- 5 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/ 9781003213925 Typeset in Bembo by Newgen Publishing UK vii For my daughters, Skylar- Belle and Lillian- Reese viii ix CONTENTS List of Figures and Tables xi List of Contributors xiii Acknowledgments xv 1 Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections: An Introduction 1 Evelyn M. Simien 2 Andrew Gillum’s Quest to Become Florida’s First Black Governor 17 Sharon Wright Austin 3 Ilhan Omar: Breaking Barriers for Muslim, Somali American, and Immigrant Women 33 Stefanie Chambers and Laurel Elder 4 Ayanna Pressley: Change Can’t Wait 52 Lauren E. Jones and Evelyn M. Simien 5 Rashida Tlaib: A Symbol and Champion for Detroit 72 Michael Minta
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