Running On Empty? Political Discourse in Congressional Elections

by Maisel, Sandy L.; West, Darrell M.; Bowie, James I.; Brewer, Mark D.; Brown, Clyde; Busch, Andrew E.; Ezra, Marni; Gunderson, Julie; Hofrenning, Daniel; Jackson III, John S.; Larson, Stephanie Greco; Loomis, Burdett A.; Maestas, Cherie; Maisel, L Sandy; P

• ISBN13: 9780742530751
• ISBN10: 0742530752
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-02
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

The level of discourse in campaigns and elections ideally should elevate citizens' knowledge about the candidates and the issues that face the polity. But elections today are often beset by negative campaigns and an emphasis on the horse race over issue

Table of Contents

Preface: Gauging Political Discourse
L. Sandy Maisel and Darrell M. West	ix
Acknowledgments	xv
1 Civil Discourse Derailed, or the Invasion of the Body (Politic) Snatchers in Connecticut 2	1	(14)
PAUL R. PETTERSON
2 "Accentuating the Positive": Personality, Polling, and Party in Kansas 3	15	(12)
BURDETT A. LOOMIS
3 Partisanship Trumps Incumbency in Maryland's 8th District	27	(14)
MARNI EZRA
4 A Three-peat in the 2nd Congressional District Race in Minnesota	41	(16)
JOHN S. SHOCKLEY
5 Riding Your Record: Candidate Qualifications and Discourse in North Carolina's 8th District	57	(14)
PATRICK SELLERS
6 "Nice Guys Finish Last," and Other Possible Untruths about Congressional Elections	71	(14)
KELLY D. PATTERSON
7 "The Virginian" versus "The Little Mexican": The 2002 Race in Arizona 1	85	(14)
JAMES I. BOWIE AND FREDERIC I. SOLOP
8 Down to the Wire: Colorado United States House District 7	99	(16)
ANDREW E. BUSCH
9 A Campaign about Campaign Discourse: Maine's 2nd District	115	(14)
RICHARD J. POWELL
10 The Mayor Becomes a Congressman: Protecting a Lead Wins Big in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District	129	(14)
CLYDE BROWN
11 Contrary to Tip O'Neill, All Politics Is Not Local	143	(14)
JOHN S. JACKSON III
12 Turning a "No Win" Race into a Win: Democrat Tim Holden Beats the Other George W. (Gekas), in Pennsylvania's 17th	157	(14)
STEPHANIE GRECO LARSON
13 A Cataclysmic Campaign for the Minnesota Senate	171	(14)
DANIEL HOFRENNING, JANELLE SAGNESS, AND JULIE GUNDERSON
14 Racing in the Shadows: The 2002 Texas Senate Race	185	(14)
CHERIE MAESTAS
15 Tightly Contested Everywhere but the Ballot Box: The 2002 Campaign for United States Senate in Maine	199	(16)
MARK D. BREWER
16 A Civil Campaign in a Competitive State: The 2002 North Carolina U.S. Senate Election	215	(14)
CHARLES PRYSBY
Conclusion: Discourse and Beyond
Darrell M. West and L. Sandy Maisel	229	(10)
References	239	(10)
Index	249	(12)
About the Contributors	261