The Dynamics of Southern Politics: Causes and Consequences

Taking a hard look at the changing demographics in the American South, The Dynamics of Southern Politics discusses how this region remains exceptional while also addressing how that exceptionalism is eroding. Author Seth McKee tells a historically rich story going back to the end of the Civil War, tracks electoral changes to the present, and explores some of the most significant components contributing to partisan change. Supported by a host of detailed tables and figures, this book pairs a strong historical foundation with an in-depth analysis of the contemporary region.

Table of Contents:
Tables, Figures, and Boxes Preface Acknowledgments About the Author Chapter 1. The Long Arc of Southern Political History Overview of the Book Explanations of Southern Political Change Chapter 2. Before a “Solid South” 1868 to 1900: The Relentless Work of Democratic “Redemption” Northern Republicanism in the South The End of Reconstruction An Unstable Interlude Populist Threat and Its Removal Summary of a Most Politically Volatile Period Concluding Thoughts Chapter 3. Democratic Past Origins of the Solid South The Timing and Tools of Disfranchisement The (White) Primary System The 1930s: Democracy Heads North The 1948 Election: A Permanent Fissure in the Solid South Summary of Southern Democratic Dominance Concluding Thoughts Chapter 4. Competitive Transition The Not-So Placid 1950s The Tumultuous and Triumphant 1960s The Deceptively Quiet 1970s Reagan and the 1980s Turning Point Summary Evidence of the Competitive Transition Concluding Thoughts Chapter 5. Republican Present Unintended Consequences? Republican Control from Top to Bottom Federal Contests Statewide Contests State Legislative Elections The Peak of Republican Hegemony? Chapter 6. Generational Change and GOP Growth The Importance of Party Identification Party Identification of Black Southerners Party Identification of White Southerners Life-Cycle, Period, and Generation Effects Tracking Generational Change and Party Identification Concluding Thoughts Chapter 7. Issues: Race, Economics, and Religion Issues, Ideology, and Political Sophistication Sorting and Polarization Within the Southern Electorate The Big Three: Race, Economics, and Religion Race Economics Religion Summary Chapter 8. Sectional and Locational Differences Southern Urbanization Deep Versus Peripheral South: An Enduring Divide Location and a Changing South, 1950–2000 Location in the New Millennium Voter Preferences by Subregion and Location Concluding Thoughts Chapter 9. The Changing Southern Electorate A Note on the Data Racial and Ethnic Composition of the General Electorate White Voters Black Voters Latino Voters Race and Gender The Democratic and Republican Coalitions, Then and Now The Primary Electorate Welcome Back Carpetbaggers! Southern In-Migrants Concluding Thoughts Chapter 10. Republican Responses to Demographic Change Demographic Change in the Southern Electorate Electoral Volatility in the New Millennium The 2010 Republican “Tsunami” Congressional Redistricting Jim Crow in Miniature? Restrictive Voting Laws The Importance of Shelby County v. Holder Summary Chapter 11. The South in Comparative Perspective Election Patterns in the South and Non-South Party Identification in the South and Non-South Voter Preferences in Recent Elections Enduring Southern Exceptionalism Chapter 12. The Future of Southern Politics The Old Southern Politics A Longitudinal Look at Party Competition The Re-Segregation of Southern Politics Demographic Change and Democratic Promise Final Thoughts References Notes Index

About the Author :
Seth C. McKee is associate professor of political science at Texas Tech University. McKee is the current Editor in Chief of Political Research Quarterly and a member of the editorial boards of American Politics Research and Political Behavior. His primary area of research focuses on American electoral politics and especially party system change in the American South. He has published numerous articles on such topics as political participation, public opinion, voter preferences, redistricting, party switching, minority representation, strategic voting behavior, and state legislator voting behavior. McKee is the author of Republican Ascendancy in Southern U.S. House Elections (Westview Press 2010) and the editor of Jigsaw Puzzle Politics in the Sunshine State (University Press of Florida 2015).

Review :
"A thorough and empirically-based (not exhausting!) discussion of the role of race in southern politics from the Civil War to the present." "I cannot praise the author enough for rising to the challenge of providing students with an accessible trip through time to show the emergence of the one-party South and how the South evolved over time." "A historically rich treatment of southern politics that successfully introduces students to the way social science is practiced today." "Thoughtful, meticulously researched, accessible to an undergraduate population." "The subfield of southern politics is sometimes criticized for focusing far too much on anecdotal evidence without having much of an empirical flavor. McKee remedies this."