The Unforeseen Impacts of the 2018 US Midterms

Reviews / Votes

"By analyzing important, but sometimes overlooked aspects of America's historic 2018 congressional midterms, The Unforeseen Impacts of the 2018 US Midterms is a 'must-read' for anyone seeking to know more about this record-setting election cycle from a political science perspective."

- Rachel Bitecofer , Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Christopher Newport University, USA and Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center

"This set of highly engaging, well-researched essays on the 2018 midterms goes beyond surface and standard analysis of elections and delivers important insights on the structural and campaign dynamics that mattered. One major lesson is that President Trump and Republicans undermined their electoral prospects through a trade policy dependent on tariffs and retirements by long-serving House members. Another insight is that Republicans had structural advantages gained during redistricting after the 2010 Census. Finally, regarding an election that led to the largest number of women in Congress ever, the two essays on this subject demonstrate the impacts of strategies and contingencies. I strongly recommend this collection for scholars, the public and students alike."

- Amy Fried , Professor of Politics, The University of Maine, USA and author of Pathways to Polling: Crisis, Cooperation, and the Making of Public Opinion Professions (2012)

"This book combines an understanding of long-term, broad questions about U.S. institutions and elections with analysis of the events of the 2018 midterms across a wide range of issues, including strategic congressional retirements, women and minority candidates, gendered campaign rhetoric and gerrymandering. Its insights and analysis at the district, state and national levels inform readers on our conventional understanding of U.S. politics as well the implications of 2018 for our future."

- Kevin Parsneau ,Professor of Government, Minnesota State University, USA

" The Unforeseen Impacts of the 2018 US Midterms , edited by Tauna S. Sisco, Jennifer C. Lucas & Christopher J. Galdieri, offers a uniquely interdisciplinary look at the 2018 congressional midterm elections with a mix of political science, sociology, and data analysis. Unforeseen Impacts will be of interest to politically attentive readers and it will work well as a supplemental reader for courses on political parties, elections, or campaigns. A chapter on congressional redistricting provides a novel, useful metric for judging the extent of Republican advantage owing to partisan gerrymandering by state legislatures. Two chapters are devoted to the circumstances, strategies, and success of novice and female candidates. These chapters offer more evidence on the nationalization of political conflict, suggesting that national conditions, more than local conditions, are important for the opportunities for success of challengers in congressional elections. The final chapter looks at the issues of race and protectionism to address broader questions about identity politics and economic considerations for the congressional vote. The authors offer mixed results but suggest that the status threat to the majority white citizenry, posed by increasing racial and ethnic diversity, is more complicated than is typically argued. All in all, this volume has useful material for readers of a range of political informedness with opportunities for critique and debate."

- Wayne Steger , Professor of Political Science, DePaul University, USA