Crossing the aisle : party switching by U.S. legislators in the postwar era / Antoine Yoshinaka.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yoshinaka, Antoine, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Party affiliation--United States.

Party affiliation.

United States.

United States. Congress--History--20th century.

United States. Congress.

History.

United States. Congress--History--21st century.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 265 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Summary:

"Switching parties is arguably the most important decision a politician will ever make. This book is the first-ever systematic study of the causes and consequences of legislative party switching in the United States. The author argues that re-election alone does not explain party switching. He proposes an ambition-based theory that accounts for multiple goals (including higher office aspirations and the desire for influence in the legislature) with a focus on the electoral costs and the institutional benefits of the decision. The book combines the statistical analysis of electoral data and legislative careers in the US Congress and state legislatures with elite interviews of party switchers, non-switchers, and a party leader. The case study of a party switcher's decision in 'real time' documents the complexity of the decision in a politician's own words prior to and following the switch. The book raises important questions regarding the meaning of a party label"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Legislative party switching in the United States: an introduction

Party switching: a theoretical framework

Why do members of Congress switch parties?

Progressive ambition and party switching: testing the model on state legislators

The electoral consequences of party switching among members of Congress

The benefits of party switching: intrainstitutional advancement and the committee assignment process

Behind the scenes: the role of party leaders, rank-and-file members, and former party switchers

A 'real-time' look into the decision to cross the aisle.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781107115897

1107115892

9781107536067

1107536065

OCLC:

921141308

Online:

Cover image