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Earthquakes and Aftershocks: Race, Direct Democracy, and Partisan Change
Author(s) -
Bowler Shaun,
Nicholson Stephen P.,
Segura Gary M.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
american journal of political science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.347
H-Index - 170
eISSN - 1540-5907
pISSN - 0092-5853
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2006.00175.x
Subject(s) - ceteris paribus , race (biology) , ballot , democracy , political science , politics , politics of the united states , political economy , white (mutation) , public administration , law , sociology , voting , gender studies , economics , biochemistry , chemistry , gene , microeconomics
Although dramatic partisan change among the electorate is infrequent, the issue agendas of parties may produce large shifts. A major cause of such change is the politics of race. In a political environment charged with racially oriented issues, racial groups often align themselves with different parties (as witnessed most recently in the American South). Yet, if racial appeals violate norms of equality, these appeals may rebound on the party using them. Consequently, members of the (white) racial majority and racially targeted minority may both move away from the offending party. Using data from the California Field Poll, we find that racially charged ballot propositions sponsored by the Republican party during the 1990s in California reversed the trend among Latinos and Anglos toward identifying as Republican, ceteris paribus, by shifting party attachments toward the Democratic party. Our results raise serious questions about the long‐term efficacy of racially divisive strategies for electoral gain.