Open AccessRepublican Strength at the Grass Roots: An Analysis at the County Level
Author(s) -
Charles S. Bullock
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
american review of politics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2374-779X
pISSN - 2374-7781
DOI - 10.15763/issn.2374-7781.1991.12.0.80-99
Subject(s) - atlanta , political science , perspective (graphical) , public administration , geography , archaeology , metropolitan area , artificial intelligence , computer science
This paper analyzes growing Republicanism from the perspective of officeholding at the county level. Using data from a 1991 survey, we show that Republicans currently hold somewhat less than 10 percent of all county offices. Their greatest success has come in those posts offering a wider range of responsibilities. Republican county success is associated with the frequency of Republican majorities in statewide elections. Further, more Republican county officials are found in the Atlanta area, in counties experiencing more growth and, for some offices, in more affluent counties and those in which blacks constitute a higher proportion of the registered voters. The significance of the expanding corps of Republican officeholders is the potential for a more experienced cadre of candidates for higher offices than typically put forward in the past