Constitutional Design and 2014 Senate Election Outcomes
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Benjamin Highton
Benjamin Highton is a political science professor at the University of California, Davis. Previously he was an APSA Congressional Fellow. His research and teaching interests include American national politics, political behavior, elections, public opinion, and research methods.
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Eric McGhee
Eric McGhee is a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) with expertise in elections, legislative behavior, political participation, political parties and party polarization. His publications includeOpen Primaries andVoter Turnout in Primary Elections . He is a former APSA Congressional Fellow.John Sides is a political science professor at George Washington University. His work focuses on political behavior in American and comparative politics. He is the author, with Lynn Vavreck, ofThe Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Election .
Abstract
A common observation about the 2014 Senate elections is that one advantage the Republicans had was that the set of states holding elections tilted Republican in partisanship. In this article, we quantify that advantage and demonstrate that the constitutional requirements of equality for state representation in the Senate plus the division of seats into three classes were critical elements in the Republicans’ pickup of nine seats and retaking partisan control. Markedly less important was the national Republican partisan tide.
About the authors
Benjamin Highton is a political science professor at the University of California, Davis. Previously he was an APSA Congressional Fellow. His research and teaching interests include American national politics, political behavior, elections, public opinion, and research methods.
Eric McGhee is a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) with expertise in elections, legislative behavior, political participation, political parties and party polarization. His publications include Open Primaries and Voter Turnout in Primary Elections. He is a former APSA Congressional Fellow.
John Sides is a political science professor at George Washington University. His work focuses on political behavior in American and comparative politics. He is the author, with Lynn Vavreck, of The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Election.
References
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©2014 by De Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- The 2014 Midterm in the Longest Run: The Puzzle of a Modern Era
- The Republican Wave of 2014: The Continuity of the 2012 and 2014 Elections
- Was it a Wave? What does it Mean?
- The 2014 House Elections: Political Analysis and The Enduring Importance of Demographics
- Constitutional Design and 2014 Senate Election Outcomes
- Political Advertising in 2014: The Year of the Outside Group
- Interest Group Issue Appeals: Evidence of Issue Convergence in Senate and Presidential Elections, 2008–2014
- Money in the 2014 Congressional Elections: Institutionalizing a Broken Regulatory System
- Preference Dynamics in the 2014 Congressional Midterm Elections
- Still Crazy after All These Years: The Polarized Politics of the Roberts Court Continue
- Book reviews
- Resilient America
- The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- The 2014 Midterm in the Longest Run: The Puzzle of a Modern Era
- The Republican Wave of 2014: The Continuity of the 2012 and 2014 Elections
- Was it a Wave? What does it Mean?
- The 2014 House Elections: Political Analysis and The Enduring Importance of Demographics
- Constitutional Design and 2014 Senate Election Outcomes
- Political Advertising in 2014: The Year of the Outside Group
- Interest Group Issue Appeals: Evidence of Issue Convergence in Senate and Presidential Elections, 2008–2014
- Money in the 2014 Congressional Elections: Institutionalizing a Broken Regulatory System
- Preference Dynamics in the 2014 Congressional Midterm Elections
- Still Crazy after All These Years: The Polarized Politics of the Roberts Court Continue
- Book reviews
- Resilient America
- The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan
