List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
1. Introduction
2. The Context
The Constitutional Framework
Congressional Districts
Partisan Gerrymandering
Redistricting between Censuses
Racial Gerrymandering
Bipartisan Gerrymanders
The Republican Advantage in House Districts
States as Electoral Units
Election Laws
Political Parties
Social and Political Contexts
Conclusion
3. Congressional Candidates
The Incumbency Factor
Measuring the Value of Incumbency
The Vanishing Marginals
Sources of the Incumbency Advantage
The Institutional Characteristics of Congress
Changes in Voting Behavior
Constituency Service
The Variability of the Incumbency Advantage
Discouraging the Opposition
Money in Congressional Elections
The Connection between Money and Success
Why Campaign Money Is More Important to Challengers Than to Incumbents
The Career in the District
Motivating Challengers
4. Congressional Campaigns
Campaign Money
Contributions to Candidates
PACs
PACs and the Pivotal 1994 Election
Party Money
Contributions from Other Members of Congress
Self-Financing by Candidates
Fund-Raising Tactics and Donors
Independent, Voter-Education, and Issue-Advocacy Campaigns
Campaign Organizations
Campaign Strategies
Campaign Media
Personal Campaigning
Campaign Messages
Challengers' Campaigns
Going Negative
Incumbents' Campaigns
Candidates for Open Seats
Senate Campaigns
Manipulating Turnout
Conclusion
5. Congressional Voters
Turnout in Congressional Elections
Who Votes?
Partisanship in Congressional Elections
Alternative Interpretations of Party Identification
Partisanship and Voting
Partisanship and Incumbency
Information and Voting
Recall and Recognition of Candidates
Contacting Voters
Changing Evaluations of Incumbents
6. National Politics and Congressional Elections
Political Interpretations of Congressional Elections
Models of Aggregate Congressional Election Results
Presidential Coattails
National Conditions and Strategic Politics
Campaign Themes
House Elections, 1992-2022
1992-2000
2002-2010
2012-2020
The 2022 Midterm Election
Senate Elections, 1992-2022
1992-2000
2002-2010
2012-2020
The 2022 Senate Elections
Conclusion
7. Elections, Representation, and the Politics of Congress
Representation
Policy Congruence
Constituents, Interests, and Causes
Representation by Referendum
Descriptive Representation
Policy Consequences
Particularism
Serving the Organized
Responsiveness without Responsibility
The Congressional Parties: Decline and Revival
The Revival of Party Cohesion, 1980-2022
Ideological Polarization in Congress and the Electorate
Polarization in Presidential Support
Party Polarization: The Electoral Connection
Diverging Electoral Constituencies
Chicken or Egg?
The Downside of Strong Party Government
The Public's Evaluations of Congress
Reforming Congress
Term Limits
2024 and Beyond: Geography, Demography, and Nationalized Politics
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
