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  1. Home
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  3. Primary Elections in the United States
  • Cited by 41
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
August 2019
Print publication year:
2019
Online ISBN:
9781139946537
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139946537
Subjects:
Economics, Area Studies, American Studies, Macroeconomics, American Government, Politics and Policy, Politics and International Relations
Information

Book description

The direct primary stands as one of the most significant and distinctive political reforms of the Progressive era in American history. In this book, the authors provide the most comprehensive treatment available on the topic and utilize new data on election outcomes, candidate backgrounds, incumbent performance and behavior, newspaper endorsements, and voters' preferences. They begin by studying whether primary elections have achieved the goals set by progressive reformers when they were first introduced over a century ago. They then evaluate the key roles these elections have played in the US electoral systems, such as injecting electoral competition into the regions that are dominated by one of the two major parties, helping select relatively qualified candidates for office, and, in some cases, holding incumbents accountable for their performance. They conclude with studying the degree to which primaries are responsible for the current, highly polarized environment. Anyone interested in US primary elections, US political history, or electoral institutions more generally should read this book.

Reviews

'This is a wonderful, definitive study of American party primaries at the state and district level, going back a century. All the usual wrinkles are convincingly addressed - origins, history, competition, turnout, factions, candidate quality, polarization, reform options, and more. For all its messiness, the authors conclude, the system seems to work reasonably well.'

David R. Mayhew - Sterling Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Yale University, Connecticut

'Hirano and Snyder’s Primary Elections in the United States presents the most comprehensive, theoretically informed, and empirically rich analysis of the origins and consequences of primary elections yet attempted. It is a fundamental contribution to the literature on American party politics and will be the go-to source for anyone interested in learning how primaries have affected representation in the US.'

Gary Jacobson - University of California, San Diego

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