Politics of Congressional Elections

Jamie L. Carson is the UGA Athletic Association Professor of Public and International Affairs II in the Department of Political Science at the University of Georgia. He received his PhD from Michigan State University in 2003, where he was a fellow in the Political Institutions and Public Choice Program. Carson’s research interests include American politics with a specific emphasis on the U.S. Congress, congressional elections, separation of powers, and American political development. His most recent books include Nationalized Politics: Evaluating Electoral Politics Across Time (with Joel Sievert and Ryan Williamson) and Change and Continuity in the 2020 and 2022 Elections (with John Aldrich, Brad Gomez, and Jennifer Merolla).Gary C. Jacobson is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. He received his PhD from Yale University in 1972 and has served on the Council of the American Political Science Association and on the Board of Overseers of National Election Studies. Jacobson's field of interest is American national politics, with a subfield focus on Congress and congressional elections, and his current research is on the electoral basis of partisan polarization in Congress. Among books he has authored or coauthored are Money in Congressional Elections, The Electoral Origins of Divided Government, and The Logic of American Politics.

Carson and Jacobson offer the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of congressional elections available. Full of analyses that are both interesting to specialists and accessible to non-specialists, the text illuminates key developments and puts them in historical context. Readers will learn not just what has changed in congressional elections but why it matters for national politics and policy.

• List of FiguresList of TablesPreface1. Introduction2. The ContextThe Constitutional FrameworkCongressional DistrictsPartisan GerrymanderingRedistricting between CensusesRacial GerrymanderingBipartisan GerrymandersThe Republican Advantage in House DistrictsStates as Electoral UnitsElection LawsPolitical PartiesSocial and Political ContextsConclusion3. Congressional CandidatesThe Incumbency FactorMeasuring the Value of IncumbencyThe Vanishing MarginalsSources of the Incumbency AdvantageThe Institutional Characteristics of CongressChanges in Voting BehaviorConstituency ServiceThe Variability of the Incumbency AdvantageDiscouraging the OppositionMoney in Congressional ElectionsThe Connection between Money and SuccessWhy Campaign Money Is More Important to Challengers Than to IncumbentsThe Career in the DistrictMotivating Challengers4. Congressional CampaignsCampaign MoneyContributions to CandidatesPACsPACs and the Pivotal 1994 ElectionParty MoneyContributions from Other Members of CongressSelf-Financing by CandidatesFund-Raising Tactics and DonorsIndependent, Voter-Education, and Issue-Advocacy CampaignsCampaign OrganizationsCampaign StrategiesCampaign MediaPersonal CampaigningCampaign MessagesChallengers’ CampaignsGoing NegativeIncumbents’ Campaigns Candidates for Open SeatsSenate CampaignsManipulating TurnoutConclusion5. Congressional VotersTurnout in Congressional ElectionsWho Votes?Partisanship in Congressional ElectionsAlternative Interpretations of Party IdentificationPartisanship and VotingPartisanship and IncumbencyInformation and VotingRecall and Recognition of CandidatesContacting VotersChanging Evaluations of Incumbents6. National Politics and Congressional ElectionsPolitical Interpretations of Congressional ElectionsModels of Aggregate Congressional Election ResultsPresidential CoattailsNational Conditions and Strategic PoliticsCampaign ThemesHouse Elections, 1992–20221992–20002002–20102012-2020The 2022 Midterm ElectionSenate Elections, 1992–20221992–20002002–20102012-2020The 2022 Senate ElectionsConclusion7. Elections, Representation, and the Politics of CongressRepresentationPolicy CongruenceConstituents, Interests, and CausesRepresentation by ReferendumDescriptive RepresentationPolicy ConsequencesParticularismServing the OrganizedResponsiveness without ResponsibilityThe Congressional Parties: Decline and RevivalThe Revival of Party Cohesion, 1980–2022Ideological Polarization in Congress and the ElectoratePolarization in Presidential SupportParty Polarization: The Electoral ConnectionDiverging Electoral ConstituenciesChicken or Egg?The Downside of Strong Party GovernmentThe Public’s Evaluations of CongressReforming CongressTerm Limits2024 and Beyond: Geography, Demography, and Nationalized PoliticsBibliographyIndexAbout the Authors