Table of Contents

Part I: The Setting and Nominating Process

Chapter 1: The 2020 Southern Electorate: Demographics, Issues, and (In)Distinctiveness by Patrick R. Miller

Chapter 2: The 2020 Presidential Nomination Process by Aaron A. Hitefield and M.V. Hood III

Part II: Elections in the Deep South

Chapter 3: Alabama: Politics of Personality in the Heart of Dixie by Shannon L. Bridgmon

Chapter 4: Georgia: Breakthrough to Blue by Charles S. Bullock, III

Chapter 5: Louisiana: Trump Support in This Swamp Runs Deep by Robert E. Hogan and Anna R. Elinkowski

Chapter 6: Mississippi: Republican Hegemony Persists by Stephen D. Shaffer

Chapter 7: South Carolina: Redder than Red for Now by Branwell DuBose Kapeluck and Scott E. Buchanan

Part III: Elections in the Rim South

Chapter 8: Arkansas: Once More with Feeling for Trump by Jay Barth and Janine A. Parry

Chapter 9: Florida: Kingmaker No More? by Jonathan Knuckey and Aubrey Jewett

Chapter 10: Kentucky 2020: Bluegrass, Red State by Joel Turner, Scott Lasley, and Jeffrey P. Kash

Chapter 11: North Carolina: Even More Deeply Divided in 2020 by J. Michael Bitzer

Chapter 12: Tennessee: Trump Territory, Again by Vaughn May

Chapter 13: Texas: Texas: Partisan Changes Finally Afoot by Seth C. McKee

Chapter 14: Virginia: Trump Accelerates the Bluing of the Commonwealth by John J. McGlennon

Chapter 15: Five Southern States That Could Change American Politics by H. Gibbs Knotts

About the Author

Scott E. Buchanan is professor of political science and chair of the Department of Government and Sociology at Georgia College and State University.

Branwell DuBose Kapeluck is professor of political science at The Citadel.

Reviews

The South is back as a central player in U.S. elections. I greatly enjoyed reading this fantastic book, which shows that race, religion, suburbanization, and region are central to our new and emerging understanding of southern politics. This collection of essays presents one of the best and most accessible deep dives into the region’s role in the 2020 elections. If you want to know how the South shapes the electoral politics of the United States, read this book!
*Christian Grose, University of Southern California*

The South is a hotbed of political change. Demography is catching up with politics. It is the most exciting of regions, for better, a more competitive and representative politics, or worse, increased restrictions on voting by people of color. With Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and other states threatening to adapt, short-term or long-term, to the politics of mainstream America.
*William Crotty, Northeastern University*