Defying the Odds

James W. Ceaser is professor of politics at the University of Virginia. Andrew E. Busch is professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. John J. Pitney Jr. is professor of government at Claremont McKenna College.

Caesar, Busch, and Pitney continue the same effective style as their earlier After Hope and Change. The work concludes with what for some may be frightening words: ‘[a]nd if anything in politics is certain, it is that victory breeds imitation.’ Whatever one’s preferred electoral outcome might have been, certainly few if any of us want to take that ride again. Defying the Odds is a clear, concise, yet comprehensive retelling of the key events of the 2016 campaign. Once again, with limited use of political science jargon, Caesar and his coauthors make clear the lessons scholars and casual observers alike can draw from the events of the 2016 presidential election. As was the case with their earlier volume, the authors have provided an excellent accompaniment to texts for courses in campaigns and elections, the presidency, or recent political history. Defying the Odds will perhaps be more valuable as a contribution in these fields as time passes, the events are less raw, and we can place them in the context of the passage of time. Summing Up: Highly recommended.

• Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Twenty-Four Years Later: 1992 and 2016 Chapter 2: From Little Rock to Chappaqua: The Democratic Nomination Contest Chapter 3: Trumped: The Republican Nomination Contest Chapter 4: Race to the Bottom: The General Election Chapter 5: Red Down the Ballot: Congressional and State Elections Chapter 6: Aftermath and Future Epilogue: The 2018 ElectionIndexAbout the Authors