Elections and referenda / suffrage Books

Book SynopsisThe book offers an in-depth study of the translation of vote counts into seat numbers in proportional representation systems – an approach guided by practical needs. It also provides plenty of empirical instances illustrating the results. It analyzes in detail the 2014 elections to the European Parliament in the 28 member states, as well as the 2009 and 2013 elections to the German Bundestag. This second edition is a complete revision and expanded version of the first edition published in 2014, and many empirical election results that serve as examples have been updated. Further, a final chapter has been added assembling biographical sketches and authoritative quotes from individuals who pioneered the development of apportionment methodology. The mathematical exposition and the interrelations with political science and constitutional jurisprudence make this an apt resource for interdisciplinary courses and seminars on electoral systems and apportionment methods.Table of ContentsExposing Methods: The 2014 European Parliament Elections.- Imposing Constitutionality: The 2009 Bundestag Election.- From Reals to Integers: Rounding Functions and Rounding Rules.- Divisor Methods of Apportionment: Divide and Round.- Quota Methods of Apportionment: Divide and Rank.- Targeting the House Size: Discrepancy Distribution.- Favoring Some at the Expense of Others: Seat Biases.- Preferring Stronger Parties to Weaker Parties: Majorization.- Securing System Consistency: Coherence and Paradoxes.- Appraising Electoral Equality: Goodness-of-Fit Criteria.- Tracing Peculiarities: Vote Thresholds and Majority Clauses.- Truncating Seat Ranges: Minimum-Maximum Restrictions.- Proportionality and Personalization: BWG 2013.- Representing Districts and Parties: Double Proportionality.- Double-Proportional Divisor Methods: Technicalities.- Biographical Digest.- Notes and Comments.- Biographies.- References.- Index.

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Book SynopsisThis open access book represents the first comprehensive, Australia-focused treatment of the problem of false election information disseminated for the purpose of gaining an electoral advantage. It explores cautious legal regulation as the most effective and decisive approach to the issue. In doing so, the book demonstrates that, although experiments with such remedies have met with mixed success elsewhere, they are nevertheless viable, especially in Australia where they have strong public support and are able to withstand constitutional challenge. Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Measurable Effects of Disinformation on Elections.- Chapter 3: Disinformation as a Collective Action Problem.- Chapter 4: Experiments in Election Advertising Laws in Authentic Democracies Elsewhere.- Chapter 5: Australia’s Experience.- Chapter 6: South Australia - A Model Legal Regime for Regulating Electoral Advertising.- Chapter 7: Issues in Administration of s 113.- Chapter 8: 10 Main Recommendations.

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Book Synopsis#1 New York Times BestsellerFox News Channel’s Chief Political Anchor illuminates the heroic life of Ulysses S. Grant To Rescue the Republic is narrative history at its absolute finest. A fast-paced, thrilling and enormously important book. —Douglas BrinkleyAn epic history spanning the battlegrounds of the Civil War and the violent turmoil of Reconstruction to the forgotten electoral crisis that nearly fractured a reunited nation, Bret Baier’s To Rescue the Republic dramatically reveals Ulysses S. Grant’s essential yet underappreciated role in preserving the United States during an unprecedented period of division.Born a tanner’s son in rugged Ohio in 1822 and battle-tested by the Mexican American War, Grant met his destiny on the bloody fields of the Civil War. His daring and resolve as a general gained the attention of President Lincoln, then desperate for bold leadership. Lincoln appointed Grant as Lieutenant General of the Union Army in March 1864. Within a year, Grant’s forces had seized Richmond and forced Robert E. Lee to surrender.Four years later, the reunified nation faced another leadership void after Lincoln’s assassination and an unworthy successor completed his term. Again, Grant answered the call. At stake once more was the future of the Union, for though the Southern states had been defeated, it remained to be seen if the former Confederacy could be reintegrated into the country—and if the Union could ensure the rights and welfare of African Americans in the South. Grant met the challenge by boldly advancing an agenda of Reconstruction and aggressively countering the Ku Klux Klan. In his final weeks in the White House, however, Grant faced a crisis that threatened to undo his life’s work. The contested presidential election of 1876 produced no clear victory for either Republican Rutherford B. Hayes or Democrat Samuel Tilden, who carried most of the former Confederacy. Soon Southern states vowed to revolt if Tilden was not declared the victor. Grant was determined to use his influence to preserve the Union, establishing an electoral commission to peaceably settle the issue. Grant brokered a grand bargain: the installation of Republican Hayes to the presidency, with concessions to the Democrats that effectively ended Reconstruction. This painful compromise saved the nation, but tragically condemned the South to another century of civil-rights oppression.Deep with contemporary resonance and brimming with fresh detail that takes readers from the battlefields of the Civil War to the corridors of power where men decided the fate of the nation in back rooms, To Rescue the Republic reveals Grant, for all his complexity, to be among the first rank of American heroes.

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Book SynopsisConcerned citizens across the globe fear that democratic institutions are failing them. Citizens feel shut out of politics and worry that politicians are no longer responsive to their interests. In Hope for Democracy, John Gastil and Katherine R. Knobloch introduce new tools for tamping down hyper-partisanship and placing citizens at the heart of the democratic process. They showcase the Citizens'' Initiative Review, which convenes a demographically-balanced random sample of citizens to study statewide ballot measures. Citizen panelists interrogate advocates, opponents, and experts, then write an analysis that distills their findings for voters. Gastil and Knobloch reveal how this process has helped voters better understand the policy issues placed on their ballots. Placed in the larger context of deliberative democratic reforms, Hope for Democracy shows how citizens and public officials can work together to bring more rationality and empathy into modern politics.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Political Life Transformed 2. Pushing Citizens Aside 3. Losing Our Minds 4. Progressive Politics in the Pacific Northwest 5. A Crucial Test 6. The Best Argument Wins 7. Bureaucracy and Boycott 8. Back in the Wind Tunnel 9. Can Voters Deliberate? 10. Restoring Public Faith Conclusion: What's Possible?

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBased on extensive research, including qualitative and quantitative scholarship (with survey data included), the book is filled with insights into recent history and the current state of politics in the South and the nation. Although challenging, it largely avoids disciplinary jargon and therefore is accessible to a broader audience. Highly relevant, and deserving of a broad readership. ... Summing up: Highly recommended * C. K. Piehl, CHOICE *Maxwell and Shields have contributed mightily to our understanding of the nation's most consequential electoral transformation. * Journal of American History *Angie Maxwell and Todd Shields demonstrate in their fine The Long Southern Strategy just how the party of Lincoln became the party of the South. Their book permits us to better understand how the southern-oriented views of identifiers of that party blended with those of the North to create a truly national political opinion, in ways in which a northern and southern Democratic majority never did. * John H. Aldrich, Duke University, Perspectives on Politics *This volume provides scholars of the South's partisan realignment with revealing data depicting the centrality of white southern identity to the GOP's repeated efforts to win the region ... scholars seeking insight into white southern voters' identity -- and how identity translates into behavior at the polls -- will find much to mine in this volume. * Katherine Rye Jewell, North Carolina Historical Review *In The Long Southern Strategy, Angie Maxwell and Todd Shields demonstrate that this strategy was not, as political scientists might be tempted to think, just about electoral politics. Instead, to fully understand the history (and contemporary implications) of the southern strategy, one must look at the interdependence of racism, religion and patriarchy. ... Maxwell and Shields encourage the reader to see the intricacies of these interwoven threads while avoiding unsubstantiatedgeneralisations. Facts are the driver in this comprehensive analysis. * Angelia R. Wilson, Times Higher Education Review *The text itself is sharply written and delivers an unequivocal message accusing the Republican Party of skillfully manipulating the people who live in the 11 states of the old Confederacy. * Curtis Wilkie, The Washington Post *The Southern Strategy has long been defined narrowly, as the Republican appeal to southern whites who recoiled from the civil rights revolution and its allies in the national Democratic Party as a result. But as Angie Maxwell and Todd Shields make clear in this provocative and powerful study, white backlash was only part of the approach. A must-read for anyone seeking to make sense of Southern politics, he Long Southern Strategy shows how tensions over race, religion and gender relations worked to remake the region, and to remake the Republican Party as well. * Kevin M. Kruse, co-author of Fault Lines: A History of the United States since 1974 *With The Long Southern Strategy, Angie Maxwell and Todd Shields widen theaperture to reveal the ways in which what we think of as a time-limited, race-focused effort to court southern voters in the 1970s and 80s, was in fact a strategy carried in on two vitally important and unexplored wings-gender anxiety and religious fervor-and carefully packaged in uniquely southern flavors. This deeply-researched, broadly drawn argument about the ways in which the Republican Party rebranded itself to appeal to and inflame those anxieties will surely become crucial to our understanding of both the long history of voting and organizing in the American south, and to reckoning with our current political climate-that remains trapped under the unfinished fallout from the Civil War. * Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Legal Correspondent, Slate *You can't understand American politics unless you understand the politics of the South. And, as Maxwell and Shields prove, you can't understand Southern politics until you understand the racist, evangelical, and gender elements of the GOP's Long Southern Strategy-which spread far beyond the South and helped make Donald Trump our first Confederate president. * Bill Press, Radio Talk Show Host *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis hefty volume takes a multidisciplinary look at the machinations involved in electoral persuasion... Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students and faculty. * J. A. Hardenbrook, Carroll University *Table of Contents1. A Framework for the Study of Electoral Persuasion Elizabeth Suhay, Bernard Grofman, and Alexander H. Trechsel Part I. General Models of Political Persuasion 2. Classic Models of Persuasion Richard R. Lau 3. When, How, and Why Persuasion Fails: A Motivated Reasoning Account Ryan G. Cotter, Milton Lodge, and Robert Vidigal 4. The Boundary Conditions of Motivated Reasoning Ryan G. Cotter, Milton Lodge, and Robert Vidigal 5. Reasoned Persuasion Bernard Grofman 6. Persuasion and Issue Voting Bernard Grofman 7. Party Cues John G. Bullock 8. How the News Media Persuades: Framing Effects and Beyond Thomas J. Leeper and Rune Slothuus 9. The Emotional Aspects of Political Persuasion Bethany Albertson, Lindsay Dun, and Shana Kushner Gadarian 10. Do Election Campaigns Matter? A Comparative Perspective and Overview J. Alexander Branham and Christopher Wlezien Part II. Persuasion by Parties, Candidates, and Outside Groups 11. The Utility and Content of Traditional Ads Michael Franz 12. The Persuasion Effects of Political Endorsements Cheryl Boudreau 13. Mobilization Strategies and Get Out the Vote Melissa R. Michelson 14. Appealing to Diverse Electorates in the United States David M. Searle and Marisa Abrajano 15. Race and Racism in U.S. Campaigns Christopher Sebastian Parker, Christopher C. Towler, Loren Collingwood, and Kassra AR Oskooii 16. Gendered Aspects of Political Persuasion in Campaigns Kelly Dittmar 17. Persuasion and Non-Party Groups in the Digital Age Deana A. Rohlinger 18. Interest Groups and Elections Jeffrey M. Berry 19. How Electoral Spending Relates to Political Persuasion David B. Magleby 20. Low-Resource Candidates and Fundraising Appeals Richard Johnson Part III. Media Influence 21. Campaigns and Elections in a Changing Media Landscape Michael X. Delli Carpini and Bruce A. Williams 22. Sowing Distrust of the News Media as an Electoral Strategy Jonathan M. Ladd and Alexander R. Podkul 23. Beyond Infotainment: Political-Entertainment Media and Electoral Persuasion Geoffrey Baym and R. Lance Holbert 24. Horse-Race and Game-Framed Journalism's Effects on Turnout, Vote Choice, and Attitudes toward Politics Benjamin Toff 25. Misinformation, Fake News, and Dueling Fact Perceptions in Public Opinion and Elections David C. Barker and Morgan Marietta 26. Conspiracy Theories Joseph E. Uscinski 27. Polarization and Media Usage: Disentangling Causality Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, Matthew A. Baum, and Adam J. Berinsky 28. National and Cross-National Perspectives on Political Media Bias Yphtach Lelkes 29. The Incentives and Effects of Independent and Government-Controlled Media in the Developing World Horacio Larreguy and John Marshall Part IV. Interpersonal Influence 30. Persuasion in Interpersonal Networks Anand Edward Sokhey and Carey Stapleton 31. Social Network Effects in Developing Countries Cesi Cruz, Horacio Larreguy, and John Marshall 32. Voter Mobilization in Intimate Networks Florian Foos and Eline A. de Rooij 33. Citizen Deliberation Online Patrícia Rossini and Jennifer Stromer-Galley 34. Networks and Media Influence David A. Siegel 35. Bandwagon Effects, Information Cascades, and the Power in Numbers Susanne Lohmann 36. Lobbying Networks Jennifer Nicoll Victor Part V. Electoral Persuasion across Contexts 37. Electoral Persuasion in the New Democracies: Challenges and Opportunities Rosario Aguilar and Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz 38. A Menu of Clientelist Methods to Buy and Coerce Voters: The Dark Side of Electoral Persuasion Gilles Serra 39. How and Why the Populist Radical Right Persuades Citizens Elisabeth Ivarsflaten, Scott Blinder, and Lise Bjånesøy 40. The Strategic Adaptation of the Populist Radical Right in Western Europe: Shifting the Party Message Elie Michel 41. Party Nominations and Electoral Persuasion J. Andrew Sinclair 42. Persuasion and Ballot Propositions Shaun Bowler and Stephen P. Nicholson 43. Online versus Offline Strategies in Comparative Perspective Tiago Silva 44. Voting Advice Applications: The Power of Self-Persuasion Alexander H. Trechsel and Diego Garzia 45. How Voters Distort Their Perceptions and Why This Matters Andrea De Angelis Part VI. Empirical Methodologies for Understanding Electoral Persuasion 46. Accounting for Complex Survey Designs: Strategies for Post-stratification and Weighting of Internet Surveys Erin Hartman and Ines Levin 47. Debating How to Measure Media Exposure in Surveys Seth K. Goldman and Stephen M. Warren 48. Studying Electoral Persuasion Using Online Experiments Thomas J. Leeper 49. Citizens, Elites, and Social Media: Methodological Challenges and Opportunities in the Study of Persuasion and Mobilization Philip Habel and Yannis Theocharis

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Book SynopsisAmerican democracy is in deep crisis. But what do we do about it? That depends on how we understand what the crisis actually is. In Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop, Lee Drutman argues that we now have, for the first time in American history, a true two-party system, with two disciplined, national parties. And it''s a disaster. It''s driving us apart instead of bringing us together. And it''s fundamentally at odds with our anti-majoritarian, compromise-oriented governing institutions. The conflict is unsustainable. Deftly weaving together history, democratic theory, and cutting edge political science research, Drutman tells the story of how American politics became so toxic, and why the country is trapped in a doom loop of escalating two-party warfare, and why it is destroying the shared sense of fairness and legitimacy on which democracy depends. The only way out is to have more partisanship--more parties, to short-circuit the zero-sum nature of binary partisan conflict. As he shows, the American system used to work because the two parties held within them multiple factions, which made it possible to assemble flexible majorities and kept the temperature of political combat from overheating. But as conservative Southern Democrats and liberal Northeastern Republicans disappeared, partisan conflict flattened and pulled apart. Once the parties became fully nationalized-a long-germinating process that culminated in 2010-toxic partisanship became the order of the day. With the two parties divided over competing visions of national identity, Democrats and Republicans no longer see each other as opponents, but as enemies. And the more the conflict escalates, the shakier our democracy feels. Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop makes a compelling case for large scale electoral reform-importantly, reform not requiring a constitutional amendment-that would give America more parties, making American democracy more representative, more responsive, and ultimately more stable.Trade ReviewHighly Recommended. * S.E. Schier, emeritus, Carleton College, CHOICE *[A] sophisticated yet accessible volume. * CHOICE *Table of Contents1 - Introduction 2 - Once upon a time, when the two parties were too similar 3 - The parties diverge and keep diverging 4 - American political institutions and the collapse of the four-party system 5 - A binary conflict over national identity is bad for democracy 6 - Two-Party democracy turns out to be a disaster 7 - The Breakdown of Political Fairness (Here come the doom loops) 8 - Are parties the problem or the solution? 9 - The Case for Multiparty Democracy 10 - Designing A New American Electoral System 11 - The Politics of Electoral Reform 12 - The Future of American Democracy

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Book SynopsisPat Libby's 10-step strategic model walks the reader through the essential elements of conducting a lobbying campaign from start to finish. Undergraduate, graduate students, and anyone interested in making a difference, can use the book to guide them in creating and conducting a grassroots campaign from start to finish.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. Lobbying and Advocacy: What Does It Mean, and Why Should You Do It? Pat Libby 2. The Rules of Engagement Elizabeth Heagy and Pat Libby 3. The Mosh Pit of Government Budgeting: Understanding How it Works at the Federal, State and Local Level Pat Libby 4. Making Law: The Confession of an Erstwhile Legislator Howard Wayne 5. Ten Common Elements of Successful Advocacy Campaigns: Steps 1 to 3 Pat Libby 6. Ten Common Elements of Successful Advocacy Campaigns: Steps 4 to 7 Pat Libby 7. Ten Common Elements of Successful Advocacy Campaigns: Steps 8 and 9 Pat Libby 8. Case Study #2. The K.I.D.S. Coalition: Protecting Innocence in the Digital Age Derek Floyd and Karen Gould 9. Case Study #3. REACH Pat Libby and Maureen Carasiti 10. Case Study #3 Continued: REACH the Final Steps! Maureen Carasiti 11. Case Study #4: The Ten Steps Strike Again! Breaking the Tire Cycle - A Campaign with International Impact Ben McCue 12. Fighting for Justice in Cyberspace: The Role of Technology in Advocacy John McNutt 13. So Now You Have a Law: What Do You Do with It? Monitoring Progress on the Issue Howard Wayne Index About the Editor About the Contributors

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewVoice and Inequality makes an exceptionally compelling case for how robust institutions, and not individuals or ideology, are what is critical to reduce gaps in political participation between the rich and the poor. This is a deeply informative book for scholars of Latin American politics. And it makes a significant and original contribution to research on political behavior, inequality, and democracy. * Elizabeth J. Zechmeister, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science and Director, LAPOP Lab, Vanderbilt University *Voice and Equality illuminates a fundamental challenge facing many democracies - how the marginalized can sometimes overcome barriers to political participation and gain voice in the democratic process. Through extensive analysis of public opinion surveys from across Latin America, Boulding and Holzner show that despite persistent poverty and inequality the region's poorest citizens often participate as much as their less impoverished neighbors, especially where civic and partisan organizations as well as democratic institutions help the poor overcome the many structural obstacles they face. * Jana Morgan, Professor of Political Science, University of Tennessee *Theoretically compelling, lucidly written manuscript. * Mason Moseley, West Virginia University *Table of ContentsDedication Acknowledgments List of Tables and Figures 1. Democracy, Political Participation, and Latin America's Poorest Citizens 2. What Shapes Political Participation of the Poorest Citizens? 3. Patterns and Puzzles 4. Community Organizations and Mobilization from Below 5. Political Parties and Electoral Competition 6. Inclusion and Exclusion During the Left Turn 7. Quality of Democracy 8. Conclusion Appendices References

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGround War provides a fresh and nuanced examination of gerrymandering right in time for the next round of redistricting battles. With sophisticated empirical analyses, masterful discussion of legal developments, and a novel measure of electoral maps' partisan bias and competitiveness, Goedert presents a compelling take on the ways in which gerrymandering shapes our democracy. Moreover, these analyses thoughtfully build to policy recommendations that could increase the competitiveness and representativeness of our national and state legislatures. In short, this book is a must-read for scholars of elections, election law, and legislative politics. * Brandice Canes-Wrone, Donald E. Stokes Professor of Public and International Affairs and Professor of Politics, Princeton University *The hardest issue in measuring gerrymandering is accounting for changing electoral conditions. Goedert comes closer than anyone else to solving this problem. His new metric—the historically weighted efficiency gap—is the only one to directly incorporate the likelihood of different electoral outcomes. If I could see just one number about a district map, it would be Goedert's score for it. * Nicholas Stephanopoulos, , Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law, Harvard Law School *Table of Contents1. Introduction: A Tale of Two Gerrymanders 2. The Theory Behind Gerrymandering 3. Legal Developments and Standards in Partisan Gerrymandering 4. Gerrymandering and Competitive Elections 5. Measuring Historical Bias: Historically Weighted Efficiency Gap 6. Bias and Responsiveness in Partisan Maps 7. Bias and Responsiveness in Nonpartisan Maps 8. Conclusion: The Road to Reform References Appendices

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Book SynopsisTrump, Wilders, Salvini, Le Pen - during the last decades, radical right-wing leaders and their parties have become important political forces in most western democracies. Their growing appeal raises an increasingly relevant question: who are the voters that support them and why do they do so? Numerous and variegated answers have been given to this question, inside as well as outside academia. Yet, curiously, despite their quantity and diversity, these existing explanations are often based on a similar assumption: that of homogeneous electorates. Consequently, the idea that different subgroups with different profiles and preferences might coexist within the constituencies of radical right-wing parties has thus far remained underdeveloped, both theoretically and empirically. This ground-breaking book is the first one that systematically investigates the heterogeneity of radical right-wing voters. Theoretically, it introduces the concept of electoral equifinality to come to grips with this diversity. Empirically, it relies on innovative statistical analyses and no less than 125 life-history interviews with voters in France and the Netherlands. Based on this unique material, the study identifies different roads to the radical right and compares them within a cross-national perspective. In addition, through an analysis of almost 1400 tweets posted by Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen, the book shows how the latter are able to appeal to different groups of voters. Taken together, the book thus provides a host of important new insights into the heterogeneous phenomenon of radical right support.Trade ReviewRoads to the Radical Right offers an enhanced understanding of the variation in national constituencies based on rich data in France and the Netherlands. It thus provides a promising comparative research agenda for scholars and students of elections, the radical right, and populism. Damhuis successfully debunks the simplistic idea that voters of RRPPs are homogeneous and makes an impressive theoretical and empirical effort to deconstruct and critique their simplified social representation often conveyed by the media. * Catherina Froio, Sciences Po, Centre d'études européennes et de politique comparée, Perspective on Politics *Table of Contents1: Introduction: Wholes-of-Parts 2: Theoretical Framework 3: The Design of the Study 4: Inside the Political Supply of the Radical Right 5: Radical Right Supporters in the Social Space 6: Hard-Done-Byness 7: Contributionism 8: Radical Conservatism 9: Conclusions and Perspectives

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Book SynopsisA candid account by a 1950s political operative and shrewd lobbyistTrade Review"'Smiling Joe' Miller's fascinating story is vividly and candidly recounted in his memoir . . . packed full of fascinating political anecdotes as well as public policy discussion. Students of Northwest political history, in particular, won't want to pass up what 'may be the most relevant look at American politics in the last half of the twentieth century that you will ever read.'." * Blue Oregon *"The Wicked Wine of Democracy hums along like a Shiraz-warmed conversation at the dinner table." * Seattle Times *"In this campaign season, [Miller's] book is an entertaining reminder that while political policies and philosophies matter, so do personalities, backroom arm-bending, and that wicked wine." * Bellingham Herald *"Joe Miller has spared no one, including himself. He played the game long and devotedly, did it with good intentions, and has earned his reputation as a good man." * Crosscut.com *"[Miller's] comments on money remind us both of the pervasiveness of the fat envelope in American political history, and that, while the process is now less crude, the denominations are a lot larger. About the role of money in politics, Miller concludes, 'Does it work? Almost always. What is different these days is the aggressive way that money is pursued, by both sides." * Oregon Historical Quarterly *Table of ContentsForeword / Shelby Scates Preface Acknowledgments 1. A Political Junkie 2. Something Special - Dick Neuberger 3. Maggie and the Tiger 4. Frosty 5. Prox 6. Winning Big 7. Revenge in Kentucky 8. Hawaiian Odysseys 9. A State That Time Forgot 10. Outside on the Inside 11. The Campaign and Aftermath 12. A Lobbyist Is a Lobbyist Is a Lobbyist 13. No Vestal Virgin in the Whorehouse 14. The Spotted Owl and Other Varmints 15. Mike's "Fish Bowl" 16. Pirates of Pork 17. Strike! Strike! Strike! 18. Battle of the "Black Hats" 19. The Wicked Wine of the Democratic Process 20. Reflections A Word about Sources Index

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Book Synopsis“Cowan has brought to life a fascinating part of TR’s story usually left out of the history books. He tells it with verve and suspense, warts and all, his insights deepened by his own impressive background as a democracy activist.”—Adam Hochschild, author of To End All WarsTrade Review"A lively, relevant primer in the sausage-making of candidate selection....Few historians have given this shameful chapter in the Progressive Party the attention that it deserves, and Cowan’s documentation, drawn mostly from newspaper accounts from the summer of 1912, is compelling." -- Thomas Curwen - Los Angeles Times"Cowan tells his story with great verve." -- H. W. Brands - Washington Post"Brings new insight to a well-worn story…. Cowan paints an admirably nuanced picture of Roosevelt." -- Ari Berman - New York Times Book Review"The 1912 presidential campaign makes for a dazzling story, and Mr. Cowan tells it well…. [he] brings fresh depth and breadth to this sordid tale. Thus do we see, through his research and deft storytelling, how reform movements are often encased in self-interested cant." -- Robert Merry - Wall Street Journal"A fascinating tale…. I found this book revelatory." -- Janet Napolitano, President, University of California"A suspenseful narrative, replete with larger-than-life personalities, and a must-read backstory for anyone concerned with the history and fate of a democracy that, at its best, aims to ‘Let the People Rule.’" -- Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University"You wouldn’t think that there would be anything new to say about Theodore Roosevelt by now. But Geoffrey Cowan has brought to life a fascinating part of TR’s story usually left out of the history books. He tells it with verve and suspense, warts and all, his insights deepened by his own impressive background as a democracy activist." -- Adam Hochschild, author, To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918"Cowan has written a rich, eye-popping political history. Teddy Roosevelt was a progressive hero, but he could play as rough as today’s most cynically expedient politicians." -- Evan Thomas, author of Being Nixon and Robert Kennedy"Rips the lid off of the 1912 presidential election. Cowan brilliantly illuminates everything from the birth of the political primary system to the disenfranchisement of African Americans to egos writ large. The narrative has a marvelous flow and the research is superb." -- Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America"Cowan has brilliantly re-created a pivotal moment in American political history…brought vividly to life through dogged and creative research and graceful storytelling. Political junkies across America are buckling in for another tumultuous primary season in 2016—and they couldn’t find a better way to prepare than to devour this rollicking and remarkably current tale of how it all began, over a century ago." -- Ronald Brownstein, editorial director for strategic partnerships, Atlantic Media"A fresh and perceptive look… Based on extensive research in original sources, Let the People Rule laces striking information on TR’s race against President Taft with new insights and a fresh and important analysis. Let the People Rule is the book to read on Roosevelt’s pivotal year." -- Lewis L. Gould, author of The Republicans: A History of the Grand Old Party"For those of us who believe that modern American politics began at the turn of the twentieth and not the twenty-first century, Geoff Cowan has produced a fresh contribution to the argument. The modern mechanics of presidential selection, the rise of candidacies largely independent of party, and the mobilization of autonomous supporters: all come to life in Let the People Rule." -- Byron E. Shafer, Hawkins Chair of Political Science, University of Wisconsin

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Book SynopsisNational Bestseller The untold story behind the most shocking political upheaval in the country.Trade Review"Through the microcosm of one state Dan Kaufman does a masterful job explaining what’s happened to America, and why. It’s not a happy tale, but it’s an important one." -- Jane Mayer, best-selling author of Dark Money"Full of sharply reported details…[The Fall of Wisconsin] laments the state’s recent trajectory and chronicles ‘the conservative war’ on its political legacy." -- Michael O'Donnell - New York Times Book Review"Kaufman argues that what’s been happening in Wisconsin has historical significance because it made the state a model for conservative activists…[The Fall of Wisconsin] belongs with well-known recent studies such as J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy and Arlie Russell Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land." -- Ron Elving - NPR"In The Fall of Wisconsin, Dan Kaufman shows how the state became a conservative test case…Clean air, clean water, good schools: The public infrastructure that was considered common sense for Wisconsinites has been attacked by the right as if it were a red menace…Kaufman believes that Wisconsin’s extreme makeover portends something scary for the rest of us." -- Jennifer Szalai - The New York Times"Kaufman burrows badgerlike into the politics of America’s Dairyland, unearthing the personal histories of its people: an ironworker turned activist, a conservation biologist, a Native American tribal elder. In doing so, he reveals Wisconsin’s transformation from a 'pioneering beacon' of progressive policies, responsible for the nation’s first worker’s-comp and unemployment-insurance programs, to ‘a laboratory for corporate interests.'" -- Michelle Hart - O, the Oprah Magazine"What was the matter with Kansas is now the matter with Wisconsin. Once one of the most liberal states in the union, on election night 2016 Wisconsin was the state that put Trump over the top. How did such a big change happen, and what should we do about it? For starters, read this book—and let these agonizingly true stories sink in." -- Thomas Frank, best-selling author of What’s the Matter with Kansas?"Dan Kaufman chronicles how his home state—the birthplace of progressivism, Aldo Leopold’s land ethic, and Earth Day—was transformed into a showcase for right-wing ideology. The Fall of Wisconsin is illuminating, unsettling, and profoundly relevant." -- Elizabeth Kolbert, best-selling author of The Sixth Extinction"Dan Kaufman, a native son, will take you deeper into this story than I would have thought possible. Tirelessly reported, full of heroes and their tormentors, it’s a devastating portrait of a beautiful, besieged state reeling into the Trump era." -- William Finnegan, best-selling author of Barbarian Days"The Fall of Wisconsin shows that the most important story in American politics was hiding in plain sight—how the progressive bastion of the upper Midwest turned into Alabama-with-snow. With elegant ferocity, Dan Kaufman tells a story that is rooted in the soul of Wisconsin but relevant to the whole country as well." -- Jeffrey Toobin, best-selling author of American Heiress

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