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Revisiting Prospects for an Unconventional Presidency
Author(s) -
Nichols Stephen M.,
Beavers Staci L.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.259
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1747-1346
pISSN - 1555-5623
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-1346.2002.tb00637.x
Subject(s) - presidency , presidential system , disadvantaged , openness to experience , variety (cybernetics) , politics , presidential campaign , race (biology) , political science , white (mutation) , public opinion , political economy , social psychology , psychology , sociology , law , gender studies , biochemistry , chemistry , artificial intelligence , computer science , gene
Various polls indicate that prejudices held by Americans against a variety of “unconventional” presidential candidates including females, blacks, Catholics, and Jews slowly dissipated between the 1930s and the 1990s, while prejudices against either atheistic or homosexual candidates remained palpable. Nonetheless, the chances that the American public gives to an unconventional candidate of actually winning a race for the White House in the near future is undetermined. Moreover, how might members of these politically disadvantaged groups view the chances of one of their own winning the presidency? Using data from a survey of Californians, we explore individuals' openness to voting for any of a variety of unconventional presidential candidates—for females, African Americans, Hispanics, homosexuals, and atheists—as well as their views on the probability that any such candidate will be elected to the White House within the next 50 years. Our findings shed light on political tolerance in America and reveal potential obstacles for the likelihood of an unconventional presidency in the near future.