Congressional Parties, Institutional Ambition, and the Financing of Majority Control

Reviews / Votes

"Heberlig and Larson get it. Money has always been the mother's milk of politics, but never before has the ability to raise cash determined who leads Congress and what the legislature actually does and doesn't do. The authors have written an eye-opening book that will help readers understand why the Congress has become an unproductive swamp of hyper-partisanship."
-Larry J. Sabato, University of Virginia Center for Politics "Fundraising was always important for party leaders, and for some key committee chairs. But what the authors describe is almost like an evolutionary shift-suddenly the resources needed to prosper and pass along your policy ideas are different than in the past. This is an important story that should be read by all students of Congress and of campaign finance."
-Clyde Wilcox, Georgetown University "One of the greatest transformations in American politics over the last half-century is the vastly enlarged role of the two major parties in raising and spending money in congressional campaigns. . . . In this excellent book the authors describe and explain various aspects of these trends. This book is a major contribution to the literature on Congress and on elections."
-David W. Rohde, Duke University Winner:The LBJ Foundation 2014 D.B. Hardeman Prize * LBJ Foundation DB Hardeman Prize * "Heberlig and Larson provide a necessary and stimulating revision of party theory."
-Political Science Quarterly -- Adam Zelizer, Columbia University * Political Science Quarterly * "Heberlig and Larson make an important contribution to the scholarly literature by providing a new perspective regarding the relationships among campaign finance, political parties, and the operations of the US Congress. ... [T]he research and writing are skillfully done; the authors should be commended for their efforts. Highly recommended"
-B.W. Monroe, Choice * Choice * "Clearly, the findings and conclusions in this book make a contribution to the study of parties in Congress by expanding our knowledge of the different ways parties exert leverage over legislators. However, this information is especially pertinent as scholars come to terms with analyzing a political climate defined by party polarization and deep ideological cleavages."
-APSA Legislative Studies Section Newsletter -- Tyler Hughes, University of Oklahoma * APSA Legislative Studies Section Newsletter * "Heberlig and Larson have delivered an excellent and insightful contribution. Scholars of Congress, parties, campaign finance, and elections should read this book, and will likely be citing it with great frequency."
-Congress and the Presidency -- Victoria A. Farrar-Myers * Congress and the Presidency * Winner, The LBJ Foundation's 26th D.B. Hardeman Prize, 2014 * LBJ Foundation (LBJF) DB Hardeman Prize *