Winning the White House, 2004 Region by Region, Vote by Vote [Paperback]

What does it take to win the White House? This book helps students understand both the issues and how and why people vote for one candidate. After discussing the dynamics of the primary campaigns, the authors examine three broad sets of issues that play a key role in voting: foreign policy, domestic policies, and the culture wars. This sets the foundations for an examination of regional similarities and differences in voting patterns, as the varying salience and valence of issues-whether general or specific-is explored across and within regions. Special attention is paid to battleground states. Drawing on concepts from political science, this book advances students' understanding both of the field and the phenomenon.Introduction: A United States Divided in Two PART I: THE PRIMARY SEASON Choosing the Candidates PART II: THE ISSUES Foreign Policy Economic and Domestic Policies The Culture War PART III: THE REGIONS The Northeast The South and Border States The Midwest The West PART IV: BEYOND THE 2004 ELECTION Presiding Over the Electoral and Congressional Divide

American presidents govern the entire nation but they are chosen in fifty separate state contests, each with its own rules, issues and personalities. Winning the White House is one of the few books to capture the state-by-state and regional realities of presidential politics. It is a book that should be read and pondered by scholars, journalists and citizens. - Benjamin Ginsberg, Bernstein Professor of Political Science, The Johns Hopkins University

This fine new collection does an especially good job in exploring the role of values in the 2004 campaign. The essays are written in a way that students are bound to be interested, and faculty also will enjoy these thoughtful assessments. - Clyde Wilcox, Department of Government, Georgetown University

Winning the White House is an interesting and insightful volume on the policy issues and regional dynamics that brought PrlS‹