Table Of Content

PA R T I E S AND E L E C T I O N S A M E R I C A IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS NINTH EDITION MARK D. BREWER AND L. SANDY MAISEL ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Lanham • Boulder • New York • London Executive Editor: Traci Crowell Assistant Editor: Deni Remsberg Higher Education Channel Manager: Jonathan Raeder Interior Designer: Rosanne Schloss Credits and acknowledgments for material borrowed from other sources, and reproduced with permission, appear on the appropriate pages within the text. Published by Rowman & Littlefield An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com 6 Tinworth Street, London SE11 5AL, United Kingdom Copyright © 2021 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. Seventh Edition © 2016. Eighth Edition © 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Brewer, Mark D., author. | Maisel, Louis Sandy, 1945– author. Title: Parties and elections in America : the electoral process / Mark D. Brewer, L. Sandy Maisel. Description: Ninth edition. | Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019059484 (print) | LCCN 2019059485 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538136058 (cloth) | ISBN 9781538136065 (paperback) | ISBN 9781538136072 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Elections—United States. | Political campaigns—United States. | Political parties—United States. Classification: LCC JK1965 .M35 2020 (print) | LCC JK1965 (ebook) | DDC 324.973—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019059484 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019059485 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Brief Contents    List of Figures and Tables ix About the Authors xii Preface xiii Acknowledgments xviii 1 Elections and Political Parties 1 2 American Political Parties and Party Organization 21 3 Voting and Other Forms of Political Participation 63 4 Organized Groups in the Political Process 105 5 Campaign Finance 131 6 State and Local Nominations 175 7 State and Local Elections 198 8 Presidential Nominations 239 9 Presidential Elections 281 10 The Media and the Electoral Process 321 11 Party in Government 354 12 The Role of Political Parties 391 Glossary G-1 References R-1 Credits C-1 Index I-1 iii Contents    List of Figures and Tables ix About the Authors xii Preface xiii Acknowledgments xviii 1 Elections and Political Parties 1 An Examination of Elections in the United States 3 The Role of Elections in Democratic Theory 9 Modes of Elections 9 Implications for Representation 10 Definitions of “Political Party” and “Party Systems” 12 Conclusion 16 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 19 2 American Political Parties and Party Organization 21 The Development of American Political Parties 22 The First Party System 23 The Second Party System 28 The Third Party System 34 The Fourth Party System 38 The Fifth Party System 41 A Sixth Party System—Yes, But Defined How? 42 The Modern Party Organization 48 Local and County Organizations 48 State Party Organizations 51 Party Organization at the National Level 53 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 60 iv Contents v  3 Voting and Other Forms of Political Participation 63 Who Votes; Who Doesn’t 65 Expansion of the Franchise 65 Decline in Voter Participation 74 Voters in Presidential Elections 81 Models of Voting Behavior: The American Voter 82 Critics of the American Voter Model 85 Presidential Voting Reviewed 91 Voters in Congressional, Senatorial, and State and Local Elections 93 Voting Behavior Theory Revisited 97 Voting in the Real World 99 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 103 4 Organized Groups in the Political Process 105 Organized Groups in American Politics 108 Political and Nonpolitical Associations 108 Politically Active Groups 110 Electoral Activities of Organized Groups 116 Working within the Party 117 Group Ratings 119 Political Action Committees 120 Interest Groups’ Influence on their Members 125 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 129 5 Campaign Finance 131 The Long History of Campaign Finance Reform 133 The Climate for Reform 135 The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and Efforts at Amendment 136 Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) and Its Impact 137 The Seven-Year Battle for McCain-Feingold and Its Demise 139 The Costs of Democracy and Who Pays for It 143 The Costs 143 Sources of Campaign Funds 148 Campaign Finance in a Post–Citizens United and Post-McCutcheon World 171 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 172 6 State and Local Nominations 175 Political Context and Politicians’ Decisions to Run 176 Development of the Direct Primary System 178 Primaries as a Response to One-Party Domination 179 Primaries as an Item on the Progressive Agenda 179 Varieties of Primaries 180 Who May Run 180 Who May Vote 185 Who Wins 188 vi Contents  The Politics of Nominations 191 Uncontested Nominations 191 Contested Nominations 192 Conclusion 195 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 196 7 State and Local Elections 198 The Conventional Wisdom: Old versus New Politics 200 The New Politics: Campaigning in a Media Age 201 Redistricting and Reapportionment 201 The Role of Political Parties 206 The Role of Organized Groups 208 Media Politics 208 The Candidate’s Personal Organization 211 The Structure of a Modern Campaign 213 Old-Style Politics: A More Prominent Role for Parties 219 Reexamination of the Role of Political Parties 220 Local Campaigns in the Absence of Party 221 Do Campaigns Determine Who Wins Elections? 221 Lack of Competition in American Elections 222 Incumbent Advantage in US House and State Legislative Races 222 Competition in US Senate and Gubernatorial Races 224 Credible Competition in American Elections 225 Third Parties in State and Local Elections 228 Conclusion 231 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 236 8 Presidential Nominations 239 The Post-1968 Reforms 240 The McGovern-Fraser Commission 241 The 1972 Nomination 243 The Reform Movement: An Assessment 246 Twenty-First-Century Presidential Nominations 248 Strategic Considerations in the Contests for Nominations 254 The Political Calendar 255 The Rules of the Game 259 Strategic Use of Campaign Resources 263 Evaluating Nominating Campaigns 270 The Conventions 271 Credentials Challenges 272 Rules Disputes 272 Party Platforms 273 Vice Presidential Nominations 275 An Evaluation of the Conventions 277 The Presidential Nominating Process as It Stands 278 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 279 Contents vii  9 Presidential Elections 281 From the Convention to the General Election 284 Organizing for the General Election 286 Structuring the Campaign Organization 286 Functions of a Presidential Campaign Organization 290 Setting a Campaign Strategy 296 Strategies for the General Election 297 Geographic Determinations 297 Coalition Strategies 300 Issue Strategies 301 The Strategic Use of Incumbency 306 Tactics for the General Election 308 Tactical Considerations of Where to Go 309 Tactical Considerations of Media Use 309 Tactical Considerations of Image Establishment 311 The Tactics of Presidential Debates 312 Third-Party Candidates in Presidential Elections 313 The All-Consuming Nature of a Presidential Campaign 317 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 319 10 The Media and the Electoral Process 321 The Media in the Contemporary Context 322 Free or Earned Media: Journalists’ Presentations of Candidates and Campaigns 328 The Varieties of Free Media 328 The Role of the Free/Earned Media 332 The Actual Role That the Media Play 334 An Assessment of the Role of Free Media 341 Paid Media: The Candidate Provides the Message 342 Types of Paid Media 343 Controversies Caused by the Use of Paid Media 345 Impact of Paid Media on Election Campaigns 348 An Uneasy yet Necessary Relationship in Transition 349 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 352 11 Party in Government 354 Theoretical and Historical Context: Is Strong Party Government Possible in the United States? 364 Measuring Party Strength in Congress 369 Party Organization in Congress: The Leadership Hierarchy in the House and Senate 372 House Leadership 373 Senate Leadership 383 The President as Leader of Party in Government 385 Critical Thinking Questions | Key Terms 388 viii Contents  12 The Role of Political Parties 391 The Role of Elections 392 The Context of Federalism 392 Voters, Parties, and Elections 399 The Electronic Revolution: Television and Digital Media 400 The Parties in the Modern Election 403 Parties’ Appeal to the Electorate 405 The Tone of Twenty-First-Century Politics 406 Concluding Remarks 407 Critical Thinking Questions 408 Glossary G-1 References R-1 Credits C-1 Index I-1 Figures and Tables    FIGURES 1.1a Two-Party Competition in the Twentieth and Twenty-First-Century Presidential Elections 15 1.1b Two-Party Competition in the Twentieth and Twenty-First-Century Senate 16 1.1c Two-Party Competition in the Twentieth and Twenty- First-Century House of Representatives 16 2.1 Party Division Prior to Realignment on Slavery Issue 31 2.2 Stress on Party System Caused by Slavery Issue 32 2.3 Party System after Realignment on Slavery 33 3.1 Turnout in Presidential and Midterm Elections, 1948–2018 74 3.2 Voter Turnout by Race, 1964–2018 75 3.3 Voter Turnout by Age, 1964–2018 77 3.4 Voter Turnout by Sex, 1964–2018 78 3.5 Funnel of Causality 83 3.6 Electoral Success of Incumbent Representatives, 1980–2018 95 3.7 Electoral Success of Incumbent Senators, 1980–2018 96 3.8 Electoral Success of Incumbent Governors, 1980–2018 98 3.9 Turnout in Iowa Caucuses, 1968–2016 100 4.1 Nonparty Independent Expenditures in Congressional Elections, 1978–2018 124 5.1 General Election Spending by Major Party Presidential Candidates, 1952–2016 144 5.2a Mean House Campaign Expenditure by Party, 1974, 1984, 1990–2016 146 ix