Assessing Howard Dean's Fifty State Strategy and the 2006 Midterm Elections
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Elaine C Kamarck
Throughout the 2006 midterm elections, the press wrote about the conflict over campaign strategy between Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and his counterparts in Congress, Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emmanuel, the heads of the Senate and House campaigns, respectively. Schumer and Emmanuel, as well as other Beltway strategists, disagreed with Dean's "fifty state strategy" to build the party across the nation, arguing that DNC funds should focus on the races targeted by the congressional parties. This essay explains, in part, why Dean's popularity suffers in Washington – even after decisive Democratic victories – and why he continues to have support outside the Beltway. It also provides preliminary evidence that Dean's fifty-state strategy paid off in terms of increasing the Democratic vote share beyond the bounce of a national tide favoring Democrats.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Frustrated Ambitions: The George W. Bush Presidency and the 2006 Elections
- The Midterm: What Political Science Should Ask Now
- Wall vs. Wave?
- Rocking the House: Competition and Turnout in the 2006 Midterm Election
- Assessing Howard Dean's Fifty State Strategy and the 2006 Midterm Elections
- Big Deal: The 2006 Midterm Elections, the Progressive Project, and the Reagan-Bush Revolution
- Republicans and Golf, Democrats and Outkast: Or, Party Political Culture from the Top Down
- A Regional Analysis of the 2006 Midterms
- The New Democratic Majority in Congress: Preferences, Structure, and Bargaining
- Midterm Elections, Partisan Context, and Political Leadership: The 2006 Elections and Party Alignment
- A Theory of Action in Iraq: The Three State Partition and a "Mirror the Mix" Strategy
- Review
- Back to the Future: Ongoing Strife among Leftist Intellectuals
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Frustrated Ambitions: The George W. Bush Presidency and the 2006 Elections
- The Midterm: What Political Science Should Ask Now
- Wall vs. Wave?
- Rocking the House: Competition and Turnout in the 2006 Midterm Election
- Assessing Howard Dean's Fifty State Strategy and the 2006 Midterm Elections
- Big Deal: The 2006 Midterm Elections, the Progressive Project, and the Reagan-Bush Revolution
- Republicans and Golf, Democrats and Outkast: Or, Party Political Culture from the Top Down
- A Regional Analysis of the 2006 Midterms
- The New Democratic Majority in Congress: Preferences, Structure, and Bargaining
- Midterm Elections, Partisan Context, and Political Leadership: The 2006 Elections and Party Alignment
- A Theory of Action in Iraq: The Three State Partition and a "Mirror the Mix" Strategy
- Review
- Back to the Future: Ongoing Strife among Leftist Intellectuals
