Do National Parties Still Matter? A Study of Party System Congruence in the South

Authors

Jake Posey '99, Illinois Wesleyan University
Justin Taylor '99, Illinois Wesleyan University

Abstract

The research presented here attempts to examine the evidence of incongruence implied by Gimpel's intrastate party system autonomy theory. Through an examination of

geographic voting patterns, trends toward greater congruence (less autonomy) should become apparent. The hypotheses implied are as follows:

H1: Over time, statewide elections in the South will produce electoral cleavages, which are increasingly congruent with presidential electoral cleavages within each state.

H2: Rim South electoral cleavage congruence will appear earlier in time than electoral cleavage congruence in the Deep South.

H3: Statewide electoral cleavages in the Rim South will produce consistently higher congruence with presidential races than those of the Deep South.

Recommended Citation

Posey '99, Jake and Taylor '99, Justin (1999) "Do National Parties Still Matter? A Study of Party System Congruence in the South," Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 4
Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol4/iss1/9