Beschreibung:
In this new and updated volume, the contributors examine the phenomena of presidential swing states in the 2016 presidential election. They explore the reasons why some states and, now counties are the focus of candidate attention, are capable of voting for either of the major candidates, and are decisive in determining who wins the presidency.
The 2020 United States presidential race is arguably already over except for about 12 states and 20 counties. If recent presidential election trends are any indication of what will happen in 2020, Democrats in Texas and Republicans in New York might as well stay home on election day because their votes will matter little in the presidential race. The same might be said for voters in most states and counties in the United States. Conversely, for those in Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, and a handful of other states, every vote matters. These states will be battered with a barrage of presidential candidate visits, commercials, political spending, and countless stories in the media. This book analyzes why the presidential race has been effectively reduced to about a dozen states and 20 counties. Contributors to this volume make substantial updates and additions in light of the 2016 and in anticipation of the 2020 presidential elections, including 6 new chapters exploring why some states are swingers in presidential elections, capable of being won by either of the major candidates. The volume also adds a chapter examining important swing counties throughout the country. Presidential Swing States describes what makes these few states and counties unique and why the presidency is decided by who wins them. With cases studies written by prominent political scientists who are experts on these swing states, Presidential Swing States also explains why some states have been swingers but no longer are, why some are swinging, and which states may become the ones that decide the presidency.
Chapter 1: Purple Battlegrounds: Presidential Campaign Strategies and Swing State Voters
Scott L. McLean
Part I: The “Classic” Swing States
Chapter 2: Florida: Still the Largest Swing State
Sean D. Foreman
Chapter 3: Iowa: Still Swinging After All These Years
Donna R. Hoffman and Christopher W. Larimer
Chapter 4: New Hampshire as a Swing State
Dante J. Scala
Chapter 5: Nevada: A Swing State No More? Demographic and Political Change in the Silver State
David F. Damore and Rebecca D. Gill
Chapter 6: Ohio
Sean Trende
Part II: The “Recent” Swing States
Chapter 7: Still Contesting Colorado? The Politics of the 2016 Election in Colorado
Robert R. Preuhs, Norman Provizer, and Andrew Thangasamy
Chapter 8: North Carolina: Still Swingin’ in the South
Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts
Chapter 9: Virginia: Demography Drives the Old Dominion’s Destiny
John J. McGlennon
Part III: The “New-Found” Swing States
Chapter 10: Michigan: Hiding Behind a Thin Blue Wall
David A. Dulio and John S. Klemanski
Chapter 11: Keys to the Keystone State: Pennsylvania’s Return as a Premier Swing State
Rafael Jacob and Christopher Borick
Chapter 12: A Blue State Turns Red: The Future of Wisconsin Politics in the Aftermath of the Surprising 2016 Election
Neil Kraus and Aaron C. Weinschenk
Part IV: The “Emerging” Swing States?
Chapter 13: Arizona: Right of Center with Potential to Change
Kate Kenski
Chapter 14: The “Two Maines” in a (Potentially) New Swing State
Amy Fried and James P. Melcher
Chapter 15: The Loyal Blue State of Minnesota: Turning Purple
David A. Schultz
Chapter 16: Swing Counties in Presidential Elections
David A. Schultz