The Roads to Congress 2014

Another in the series of edited works on running for Congress, this volume explores seven races for the US Senate and ten for the House. Because of the common format used in each chapter, these 17 examinations of congressional elections allow readers to compare and contrast. In addition to chapters on individual contests, chapters are devoted to the 113th Congress, voter suppression laws, and the roles of super PACs and of independent expenditures…. The concluding chapter looks at the legacy of the elections of 2014. An excellently written, even-handed summary of selected 2014 congressional elections. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. * CHOICE *
It is always necessary for both scholars and the voting public to read a helpful account of congressional campaigns and elections. The practice and health of our democracy is tied to them. However, given the hyper-partisanship that defines politics today, the gridlock that plagues Washington, the growing impact of big money on campaigns, and the bewildering array of complicated issues facing us, it becomes all the more important to have such a valuable resource as The Roads to Congress. Foreman and Dewhirst are to be congratulated on the latest installment of this vital series. The book contains essays on a wide array of campaigns and candidates that captures the intriguing and eventful election of 2014 and treats them in an even-handed and informative manner. Both House and Senate races are examined and the essays are thorough yet highly readable and provide the reader with a number of timely lessons. I recommend the book to anyone interested in that historic election or in the alarming changes occurring in American political campaigns. It will also make an ideal supplemental text for undergraduate and master’s-level courses in campaigns and elections, the Congress, and related subjects. -- Robert P. Watson, Lynn University; author of Affairs of State, The Presidents’ Wives, and America’s First Crisis