Not quite thirty years ago, I sketched out a book-length history of the American political right. I had read and enjoyed George Nash’s and Jay Sigler’s tomes, but felt they were both a little dated and had excluded essential thinkers and developments. I also felt that academe, which I was in training to join, had given the […]
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Is 2022 the death knell for congressiona...
Those of us who have been working to goad Congress to reform itself got some bad news recently. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) lost in his primary, thanks to Illinois’ Democrats redistricting him. Davis is the ranking member of the Committee on House Administration (CHA) and also served on the Select Committee on the Modernization of […]
Did states’ 2020 election adaptations du
States adjusted their election administration procedures during the 2020 election in response to the pandemic. Among other adaptions, they expanded the use of absentee ballots, added drop boxes, and instituted various cleaning and social distancing procedures to increase the odds that virus-wary Americans would feel safe casting their ballots. Did these changes appreciably affect turnout, […]
Four things to look for in the upcoming ...
Primary season continues, and this Saturday Alaska will hold a special congressional election to fill the seat of the late Don Young (R). He spent 49 years in the House and rarely faced a serious challenger. But this year’s election is different from previous primaries. The state is holding this primary and its regular congressional […]
DC’s low-turnout, non-inclusive election
This past week, I filled out my ballot for Washington, D.C.’s June primary elections and mailed it. I did it out of a sense of civic duty not because I am under any illusion that any of my candidates will win in November’s general election. None of them have a chance. The only candidates listed […]
Why more Americans should visit the offi...
Recently, I conducted an informal survey. I asked 10 friends and professional colleagues whether they had ever visited the office of their member of Congress. Not a single one of them had. I was not surprised: Until I went to work for Congress in my early 30s, I had not visited a legislator or his […]