In this book, leading American politics experts examine every facet of the stunning 2020 election and its aftermath and how these events will impact America moving forward. Each contributor goes beyond the headlines and dives into the underlying forces and shifts that drove the election from its earliest developments to its chaotic conclusion.

Up close, Inauguration Day 2021 looked like any other—the chief justice of the US Supreme Court administering the oath of office to the new president on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. But pull the lens back and this was anything but a typical election and transition of power. In A Return to Normalcy?, Larry Sabato, Kyle Kondik, and J. Miles Coleman bring together respected journalists, analysts, and scholars to examine every facet of the stunning 2020 election and its aftermath, and how these events will impact American politics moving forward. In frank, accessible prose, each author offers insight that goes beyond the headlines and dives into the underlying forces and shifts that drove the election from its earliest developments to its chaotic conclusion. A Return to Normalcy? is an indispensable read for political junkies and all students of American politics.

Preface/Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Chapter 1: Larry J. Sabato: A Return to Normalcy? Taking Stock at the End of the Trump Presidency

Chapter 2: Rhodes Cook: The Off-Kilter Presidential Primaries of 2020

Chapter 3: David Byler: Was Joe Biden’s Primary Win Inevitable Or Accidental?

Chapter 4: Alan Abramowitz: The Politics of Good Versus Evil in a Polarized America

Chapter 5: J. Miles Coleman: A Political Road Trip Across the Country: Presidential Trends in Some Swingy, And Not-So Swingy, States

Chapter 6: Kyle Kondik: The House: A Blue Wave Reduced to a Blue Trickle

Chapter 7: Madelaine Pisani: The Senate: How Democrats Found the Most Difficult Path to a Majority

Chapter 8: Mary Frances McGowan: Governors and State Legislatures: Republicans Retain Strength as Redistricting Looms

Chapter 9: Theodore R. Johnson: Parties, Presidents, and the Black Electorate’s Gender Gap

Chapter 10: Diana Owen: Media Coverage of the 2020 Election: Journalists and Influencers in the Misinformation Age

Chapter 11: Grace Panetta: Defending Democracy During a Pandemic

Chapter 12: Michael Toner/Karen Trainer: The $14 Billion Election: Emerging Campaign Finance Trends and Their Impact on the 2020 Presidential Race and Beyond

Chapter 13: Sean Trende: Was Trump Worth It for Republicans?