The South and the Transformation of U.S. Politics

Mark J Rozell author Charles S Bullock author Jeremy D Mayer author Susan A MacManus author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:16th Oct '19

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The South and the Transformation of U.S. Politics cover

A strong case can be made that the South has had the greatest impact of any region on the transformation of U.S. politics and government. Since 1968, we have seen the demise of the "solid (Democratic) South" and the rise of the Republican-dominated South; the rise of the largely southern white evangelical religious right movement; and demographic changes that have vastly altered the political landscape of the region and national politics. Overriding all of these changes is the major constant of southern politics: race. Since the 1990s, the Republican Party has dominated politics in the Southern United States. Race relations were a large factor in this shift that began about a half century ago, but nonetheless, race and demographic change are once again realigning party politics in the region, this time back toward an emergent Democratic Party. Membership in the Southern Democratic Party is majority African American, Latino, and Asian, and rapidly expanding with an influx of immigrants, primarily Latino. While race continues to shape politics in the region, population growth is, as this book argues, the major factor affecting politics in the South. In fact, the populations of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have grown more rapidly than the population of the nation as a whole over the past half century--and each of these states has gained at least one seat in Congress. These growth states are the ones in which populations are diversifying, economies are surging, and Democrats are making headway. They, along with Florida and Texas, are also among the most competitive states with the largest numbers of Electoral College votes in the region. It is likely, therefore, that among the key battlegrounds for determining the presidency will be the southern states with the fastest growing populations. This will especially be the case once the Latino population in Texas mobilizes. This book describes and analyzes the ways in which demographic change has shaped politics in the South since the late 1960s and may enable the Democratic Party in the future to re-take politics in the region, and even shut out Republicans from the nation's highest office.

The book is rich with data and contextual analysis, and these esteemed authors provide compelling evidence to support their thesis that the Southdidinfluence politics at the national level as they unpack the region's present racial dynamics, demographics, and religious identity. * J.C. Davis, University of Arkansas at Monticello, CHOICE *
This isn't your grandparents' South anymore. The authors expertly highlight the profound demographic, economic, and political transformation taking place in the South in the second decade of the 21st century. The South and the Transformation of U.S. Politics will be required reading for all trying to understand southern politics in the early 21st century. * Scott E. Buchanan, author of Some of the People Who Ate My Barbecue Didn't Vote for Me *
This book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to gain insight into the contemporary world of Southern politics. Bullock et al. provide a much-needed scholarly update, focusing on the major themes of demographics, partisanship, race, and religion that undergird politics in the region. * M.V. Hood III, University of Georgia *
In 1949, V.O. Key described a South that was ruled by white conservatives, whichneeded democracy, and which held the prospect for pluralist politics. Three generations later, the South is dramatically transformed as blacks and Hispanics enter politics; the cities and suburbs hold ample political power; the economy of the region diversifies and booms; and, still, yet, conservatives dominate the politics and we continue to ponder whether democracy in the South is to be had, or earned. This book needs to sit on the desk of every student of American politics, because the past still ain't even past in the South. * Keith Gaddie, The University of Oklahoma, and co-author of The Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act *

ISBN: 9780190065911

Dimensions: 146mm x 224mm x 18mm

Weight: 357g

208 pages