Member joining patterns across party factions in the 115th Congress
Image source: Politico By Danielle Thomsen Two main teams compete for partisan control in the contemporary Congress, but even in the current context of high partisan polarization, differences between members… Read More
Leadership super PACs and the further centralization of power
Image source: PBS By Marian Currinder The direct primary was one of the Progressive Era’s most consequential reforms. Diminishing the role of parties in the nominating process meant that campaigns… Read More
The decline of party capacity in the House
Image source: Politico By Scott Meinke In the last two decades, the House of Representatives has lost a great deal of institutional capacity. Sources of expertise and… Read More
How women work harder to stay in Congress
Image source: Politico By Jeffrey Lazarus Almost ten years ago, my colleague Amy Steigerwalt and I were writing on congressional earmarks when we noticed an interesting trend: in the years… Read More
Rethinking member ambition and the reelection goal
Image source: Lee Drutman/Vox By Marian Currinder That members of Congress are ambitious is a political science axiom. Getting elected (and reelected) to Congress requires ambition, as does the earnest… Read More
Does gerrymandering cause gridlock in Congress?
Image Source: US Census By Marian Currinder Last week, David Wasserman and his Gerrymandering Project colleagues released The Atlas of Redistricting, a massive undertaking that involved drawing… Read More
Whether and how intraparty organizations matter
Source: Gannett By Jordan M. Ragusa Congress seems hopelessly divided between two warring parties. From a spending impasse that caused a government shutdown to a tax reform bill that didn’t… Read More
Whither the class of 2018?
Source: Wikipedia Breaking Wave By Richard M. Skinner Few patterns are more reliable in American politics than the president’s party losing seats in the House of Representatives at the… Read More
No, congressional Republicans are not carrying Trump’s water
Source: Washington Examiner . By Matt Glassman Last week, two retiring Republican Senators ramped up their criticism of President Trump. On Tuesday, Senator Bob Corker said Trump had “great… Read More
Parties and the Challenges of Partisan Governance
Thomas Nast, “Third Term Trap,” 1874. Source: Harpweek.com. James Wallner writes at the Examiner: “It’s almost July and the Republican Party has yet to repeal Obamacare due to divisions… Read More