Tag: Historical
-
Tales From Nebraska: Virginia Smith
INTRODUCTION TO VIRGINIA SMITH Who was Virginia Smith? Even the most astute modern political analysts probably would not know the answer to that question. Generally, that lack of recognition would be indicative of bad lawmaking or a forgettable career. Despite clear anonymity, placing Mrs. Smith into this category would belie just how important her congressional […]
-
A Detailed Look Back At The 2004 Presidential Election
In July, Split Ticket started a new historical analysis series designed to explain how certain past presidential elections ushered in, or contributed to, realignments of geographic and demographic natures. Our first article touched on the 2000 Presidential Election, a contest now regarded as one of the most consequential, and controversial, in American history. Broadly, Split […]
-
Could Maura Healey Make History in Massachusetts?
The September 6th statewide primaries in Massachusetts will be among the last sets of US elections before the November midterms, and the top of the ticket in the Bay State will be a referendum on who voters want to succeed outgoing Republican Governor Charlie Baker. With no Massachusetts Republican even remotely approaching Baker’s sky-high approval […]
-
The Reach of The Old Coalitions
One of the fundamental truths of American politics states that out-parties tend to gain seats in midterm elections. Historical causes include voter anger, changing electoral compositions, and economic concerns. This midterm axiom has been remarkably steady over the decades, with 1998 and 2002 constituting the only recent divergences. Historical data also suggest that wave midterms, […]
-
Changing Times: The 1988 Presidential Election
INTRODUCTION The 1988 presidential election is underdiscussed by historians and political analysts alike, often creating a façade of mundane normalcy that misleads observers into thinking that the race itself was boring or unimportant. Reality could not be further from the truth. This piece will shed light on some of the more fascinating aspects of the […]
-
The Gender Gap in American Politics
Virtually every partisan divergence in the modern American political era has been analyzed under the microscope, especially since the election of Donald Trump. This is especially true when evaluating divergences along racial, regional, and education-based lines. Perhaps one of the more under-analyzed splits has been the difference in voting patterns between men and women; an […]
-
PA Realignment
Introduction Split Ticket recently started a new series studying realignments in specific states. Our first article, touching on New Jersey, determined that traditional down ballot partisan leans continue to weather opposing national trends, albeit to a lesser degree than in years past. This fundamental conclusion regarding “down ballot lag” is more or less applicable to […]
-
Is It Normal For Young Voters To Be This Democratic?
“To be conservative as a young person means that one has no heart, but to be liberal as an old person means that one has no brain”.The above quote is one of the oldest notions in politics, and it conveys the expectation that young voters, who consistently display the most liberal social attitudes, vote overwhelmingly […]
-
A Detailed Look Back At The 2000 Presidential Election
Introduction The 2000 presidential election was one of the most significant in American history, from the heated campaign between George W. Bush and Al Gore to the Supreme Court’s controversial affirmation of the decisively-narrow Republican victory in Florida. At the time, Democrats were trying to hold onto the White House after two terms of Bill […]
-
New Jersey’s Realignment
Introduction Like in most American states, the geographic voting patterns of the reliably-Democratic Garden State have changed significantly in just the last ten years. Ancestral leanings are still visible in downballot elections for Governor and the legislature, but the overarching trends have even begun to manifest themselves at the local level. While it would be […]