Governors Go National: The Democratic and Republican Governors Associations and the Nationalization of American Party Politics [Hardcover]

This book examines the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations from their creation in the 1960s through the 2020 elections. The author argues that the creation of these partisan organizations marked an important moment in the nationalization of American party politics. Governors created these Associations along with party elites in Washington because they recognized that decisions being made in Washington increasingly affected decision-making in the states. Governors sought to contribute to the development of national partisan electoral strategies and policy programs through these organizations to benefit their own electoral fortunes and the standing of the national parties to which they belonged. Through organization building, governors of both parties contributed to the development of more nationally focused and programmatic parties despite being state-level elected officials.Anthony Sparacinois an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the York College of the City University of New York.

Governors Go Nationaladds to the literature on the nationalization of US politics by exploring an understudied group of actors and institutions: governors and their partisan associations. Sparacino begins by providing much-needed background on the role of governors in US politics prior to the development of the Republican and Democratic Governors Associations. This enables him to analyze the creation of these organizations and the circumstances that drove governors to emphasize partisan differences. The book then traces the institutionalization of partisan associations, highlighting how governors sought influence within their respective parties, both on policy and electorally. Through careful documentation of primary and secondary sources, Sparacino demonstrates how Republican governors were able to coordinate earlier than their Democratic counterparts due to the complex and changing Democratic coalition. However, following yearslsF