Table of Contents

Introduction: Party Polarization and Party Factionalism in the 2020 Elections by Jennifer C. Lucas, Christopher J. Galdieri, and Tauna S. Sisco

Section I: Party Activists and Factions: Challenging the Party Establishment in 2020

Chapter 1: Social Media Activism and Party Polarization: Did Democratic Social Media Activists Influence the Outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election? by Todd L. Belt

Chapter 2: Persistent Factionalism? An Analysis of Endorsements in the 2020 Democratic Primary by Zachary Albert

Chapter 3: Honest Abe Rebukes ‘The Donald’: Rhetoric in The Lincoln Project by Jerome Day, O.S.B

Section II: Polarization and Party Competition in Congressional Elections

Chapter 4: Negative Partisanship and Negative Partisan Branding: Twitter, Websites, and the 2020 Congressional Elections by Whitney Hua, Christopher Chapp, and Jorge Esparza Hernandez

Chapter 5: What Do the 2020 Congressional Primaries Tell Us about the Direction of the Democratic Party? by Robert G. Boatright

Chapter 6: Twitter Use in the 2020 Senate Races by J. Scott Granberg-Rademacker and Kevin Parsneau

Chapter 7: Party, Ideology, and Competitiveness: Small Dollar Donors in US House Elections, 2016-2020 by Brian K. Arbour

Section III: Parties and Voters in the 2020 Election

Chapter 8: Forecasting the Party Vote in the 2020 Election: What Went Wrong with the Polls by Natalie Jackson and Michael S. Lewis-Beck

Chapter 9: The Evolution of the Republican Party Coalition, 1968-2020 by Mark D. Brewer and Richard J. Powell

Chapter 10: Ideological Cleavages in the Democratic Primary Electorate by Kevin K. Banda, John Cluverius, Lilliana Mason, and Hans Noel

Chapter 11: The Political Geography of the 2020 Presidential Election: Small Shifts with Major Consequences in a Geographically Polarized Country by Chad Kinsella

Section IV: The Consequences of Polarization: Voter Access and Party Competition

Chapter 12: Pandemic Politics: State-Level Changes in Election Administration Laws in the 2020 Election by Carly Schmitt

About the Author

Jennifer C. Lucas is professor of politics and Chair of the Department of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

Christopher J. Galdieri is associate professor of politics at Saint Anselm College.

Tauna S. Sisco is professor of sociology and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Saint Anselm College.

Reviews

This timely volume is a must read for students of both parties and elections. With contributions from some of the most respected scholars in the field, Polarization and Political Party Factions in the 2020 Election explores the nuances of both party competition and intraparty conflict in the U.S. In doing so, the book dissects important developments across the political landscape, including those pertaining to presidential and congressional primaries, online activism, access to the polls, campaign finance, ideological identities, and much more. The authors help make sense of a turbulent time in American politics, while also preparing readers for the issues and debates likely to dominate in the coming years.
*Elliott Fullmer, Randolph-Macon College*

Lucas, Galdieri, and Sisco have assembled a talented and creative group of scholars to address some of the most pressing questions about the 2020 election cycle. This book offers valuable new research on factional struggles within the major American political parties — from the on-line progressives seeking to pull the Democrats leftward to the Lincoln Project working to dislodge Trump from the GOP. The volume covers the impact of primaries, the challenges of polling, the struggles of election administration, and more. Students, scholars, and political observers will find a great many answers in these pages, along with creative suggestions for further inquiry.
*Seth Masket, University of Denver*