Reassessing the Incumbency Effect

Incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives have presumably increased their vote percentages in recent decades, raising questions about the efficacy of elections in making members responsive. The evidence, however, indicates there has been no improvement in the electoral fortunes of incumbents in the last 50 years. Only Republicans have improved their electoral fortunes as a result of realignment. This valuable book provides a very different interpretation of how incumbents have fared in recent decades, and the interpretation is supported by non-technical data analysis and presentation.

Author: Jeffrey M. Stonecash
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 08/01/2008
Pages: 184
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780521733229

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2009 pg. 183
Choice 06/01/2009

About the Author
Stonecash, Jeffrey M.: - Jeffrey M. Stonecash is Maxwell Professor in the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He researches political parties, changes in their electoral bases, and how these changes affect political polarization and public policy debates. His recent books are Class and Party in American Politics (2000), Diverging Parties (2002), Political Polling (2003), Parties Matter (2005), and Split: Class and Cultural Divisions in American Politics (2007). He is now working with Mark Brewer on a book about the dynamics of party realignment since 1900. He has done polling and consulting for political candidates since 1985.