This book analyzes presidential elections over the sweep of American history, studies the 1992 presidential election, and examines the impact of presidential elections on the U.S. political system and society. It is guided by three basic questions: Are the fifty-two elections in U.S. history a set of discrete events, or are there patterns among them? Are some elections more important than others? And what is their impact on political parties, public policy, and society? The authors compare and contrast presidential elections in order to understand better their individual dynamics. An extensive introduction thoroughly grounds readers in the processes of presidential selection; Milton C. Cummings, Jr. charts the dynamics of the 1992 election, describes the pattern of the vote, and contrasts the outcome with those of 1984 and 1988; Gerald M. Pomper analyzes state-level presidential election results and evaluates the effectiveness of political parties in the democratic process; David R. Mayhew tests the link between elections and major policy change, looking at the impact of divided government on politics and policymaking at the national level; Everett C. Ladd analyzes the impact of postindustrial society on parties and the electoral system; and Harvey L. Schantz examines sectional voting patterns in presidential elections from 1824 to 1992.

This book studies the views from countries in Asia, Europe, and Latin American of the United States and the 2016 presidential election. Twelve keen observers of the American political scene from three continents evaluate how these perspectives were modified or reinforced as a result of the campaign and election of Donald Trump. This is a book about how foreigners view American politics and will be of interest to students of foreign policy, international studies, history, and political science.

This book offers a timely understanding of the history of the Democratic and Republican Parties and their adaptability, endurance, and importance in presidential elections. Taking the reader from the beginnings of parties as caucuses of members of the First Congress meeting in 1789 through November 2020’s presidential election, it provides a fascinating historical account of the debates, events, and personalities behind the beginnings of the nation’s political parties. This includes the importance of national party nominating conventions in the nineteenth century, the growing importance of primary elections in nominations beginning in the early twentieth century, and the changes of campaigning for presidential candidates as they started to travel across the United States for the first time in the early twentieth century. The book tells the story of the beginnings of nationally televised presidential debates and any number of other changes in the era of broadcasting and now digital platforms for presidential elections in the twenty-first century. It finishes with a look at political dynamics since the November 2020 election and a study of negative partisanship to define how campaigning for the White House works today.

From Washington to Obama, the single best source on U.S. presidential elections

While domestic issues loom large in voters' minds during American presidential elections, matters of foreign policy have consistently shaped candidates and their campaigns. From the start of World War II through the collapse of the Soviet Union, presidential hopefuls needed to be perceived as credible global leaders in order to win elections -- regardless of the situation at home -- and voter behavior depended heavily on whether the nation was at war or peace. Yet there is little written about the importance of foreign policy in US presidential elections or the impact of electoral issues on the formation of foreign policy. In US Presidential Elections and Foreign Policy, a team of international scholars examines how the relationship between foreign policy and electoral politics evolved through the latter half of the twentieth century. Covering all presidential elections from 1940 to 1992 -- from debates over American entry into World War II to the aftermath of the Cold War -- the contributors correct the conventional wisdom that domestic issues and the economy are always definitive. Together they demonstrate that, while international concerns were more important in some campaigns than others, foreign policy always matters and is often decisive. This illuminating commentary fills a significant gap in the literature on presidential and electoral politics, emphasizing that candidates' positions on global issues have a palpable impact on American foreign policy.

In this short book, learn more about U.S. presidential campaign history and how it has been nasty and scandalous.

The CQ Press Guide to U.S. Elections is a comprehensive, two-volume reference providing information on the U.S. electoral process, in-depth analysis on specific political eras and issues, and everything in between. Thoroughly revised and infused with new data, analysis, and discussion of issues relating to elections through 2014, the Guide will include chapters on: Analysis of the campaigns for presidency, from the primaries through the general election Data on the candidates, winners/losers, and election returns Details on congressional and gubernatorial contests supplemented with vast historical data. Key Features include: Tables, boxes and figures interspersed throughout each chapter Data on campaigns, election methods, and results Complete lists of House and Senate leaders Links to election-related websites A guide to party abbreviations

This is the first book on the U.S. presidential election system to analyze the basic principles underlying the design of the existing system and those at the heart of competing proposals for improving the system. The book discusses how the use of some election rules embedded in the U.S. Constitution and in the Presidential Succession Act may cause skewed or weird election outcomes and election stalemates. The book argues that the act may not cover some rare though possible situations which the Twentieth Amendment authorizes Congress to address. Also, the book questions the constitutionality of the National Popular Vote Plan to introduce a direct popular presidential election de facto, without amending the Constitution, and addresses the plan’s “Achilles’ Heel.” In particular, the book shows that the plan may violate the Equal Protection Clause from the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. Numerical examples are provided to show that the counterintuitive claims of the NPV originators and proponents that the plan will encourage presidential candidates to “chase” every vote in every state do not have any grounds. Finally, the book proposes a plan for improving the election system by combining at the national level the “one state, one vote” principle – embedded in the Constitution – and the “one person, one vote” principle. Under this plan no state loses its current Electoral College benefits while all the states gain more attention of presidential candidates.

This timely, insightful and expert-led volume interprets the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election from a geographical standpoint, with a focus on its spatial dimensions. With contributions from leading thinkers, this book highlights the unique circumstances of the election, including the Covid pandemic and a president who falsely alleged that it was a massive fraud, particularly after he lost. The volume offers an introduction and 11 chapters that examine the run-up to the election, the motivations of Trump supporters, the election results themselves, case studies of the battleground states of Wisconsin and Georgia, and the chaotic aftermath. Accompanied with an engaging plethora of figures providing a visual demonstration of data trends, both national and local case studies are considered throughout this book, as well as right-wing radicalization, the role of Cuban-Americans, race, and threats to American democracy. This book is an ideal study companion for faculty and graduate students in fields including geography and political science, sociology, American studies, media studies and urban planning, as well as those with an interest in U.S. politics more generally.

The 2008 US presidential election was a 'global event.' Across the world, countries felt they had a major stake in this election. This study investigates the perception of the candidates, the issues, and the importance of the 2008 election from abroad and discovers that these shared perceptions amount to a 'world view'.