Divided Government: Parallel Trends in Legislative Elections

Authors

  • Anita Pritchard
  • Wayne Howard

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.1994.15.0.375-382

Abstract

This research note identified a consistent trend in legislative elections at both the national and state levels. All but nine states can be classified by two criteria—one of the parties was a majority in both the U.S. House delegation and state legislature in the 1980s, and the same party gained seats in both legislative bodies following the 1950s. The Democratic Party gained or maintained a majority of seats in both U.S. House delegations and state legislatures in 32 states during the 30 years characterized by increases in divided government at both the national and state level. Explanations for Democratic dominance of legislatures that focus upon congressional elections only are too level specific.

References

Black, Earl and Merle Black. 1987. Politics and Society in the South. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Fiorina, Morris. 1992. Divided Government. NewYork: MacMillan.

Jacobson, Gary C. 1990. The Electoral Origins of Divided Government. San Francisco: Westview Press.

MacKuen, Michael B., Robert S. Erikson, and James A. Stimson. 1989. Macropartisanship. American Political Science Review 83: 1125-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1961661

Wattenberg, Martin P. 1991. The Rise of Candidate-Centered Politics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674865723

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Published

1994-11-01

Issue

Vol. 15: Autumn 1994

Section

Articles

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