Getting primaried : the changing politics of congressional primary challenges / Robert G. Boatright.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Boatright, Robert G.

Contributor:

Michigan Publishing (University of Michigan), publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Congress--Elections.

United States.

United States. Congress.

Elections.

Political campaigns--United States.

Political campaigns.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : The University of Michigan Press, [2013]

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Each of the past few election cycles has featured at least one instance of "primarying," a challenge to an incumbent on the grounds that he or she is not sufficiently partisan. For many observers, such races signify an increasingly polarized electorate and an increasing threat to moderates of both parties. In Getting Primaried, Robert G. Boatright shows that primary challenges are not becoming more frequent; they wax and wane in accordance with partisan turnover in Congress. The recent rise of primarying corresponds to the rise of national fundraising bases and new types of partisan organizations supporting candidates around the country. National fundraising efforts and interest group-supported primary challenges have garnered media attention disproportionate to their success in winning elections. Such challenges can work only if groups focus on a small number of incumbents. Getting Primaried makes several key contributions to congressional scholarship. It presents a history of congressional primary challenges over the past forty years, measuring the frequency of competitive challenges and distinguishing among types of challenges. It provides a correction to accounts of the link between primary competition and political polarization. Further, this study offers a new theoretical understanding of the role of interest groups in congressional elections.

Contents:

1 Congressional Primary Challenges: A Brief History and a Theoretical Explanation 23

2 When and Why Congressional Primary Challenges Happen 63

3 The Financing of Congressional Primary Challenges 103

4 The Consequences of Congressional Primary Challenges 139

5 Interest Groups and Congressional Primaries 175

6 Conclusions 211.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on information from the publisher.

ISBN:

9780472118700

9780472029044

Publisher Number:

10.3998/mpub.5181079

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.