Presidential Elections: Strategies and Structures of American Politics - Softcover

Presidential Elections is the rare book that is a classic while still being contemporary. Readers not only come to fully understand how presidential elections operate today, but also how the current process came to be, and what it is likely to become in the future.--Peverill Squire, University of Iowa With the possible exception of V. O. Key's Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups, it is difficult to think of any other book in the history of American political science that has gone through so many new editions over such an extended time span and with such consistently high quality. What still sets this book apart from its competitors is its sense of perspective: about how day-to-day strategic decisions are affected by the institutional environment, about how the dynamics of presidential elections fit into the larger picture of American national government.--William G. Mayer, editor of The Making of the Presidential Candidates 2004 For as long as I can remember, a new presidential season meant a new edition of Polsby & Wildavsky's Presidential Elections. It also meant and will surely mean again a slew of misunderstandings by journalists, observers, participants, and students. If only they had read this latest edition, they might begin the season focusing on real possibilities and real developments, arguing about 'where we are now' and not 'where we never were'.--Byron E. Shafer, Hawkins Chair of Political Science, University of Wisconsin

Brimming with data and examples from the tumultuous 2000 election and laced with previews of 2004, the eleventh edition of this classic text offers a complete overview of the presidential election process from the earliest straw polls and fundraisers to final voter turnout and exit interviews. The comprehensive coverage includes campaign strategy, the sequence of electoral events, and the issues, all from the perspective of the various actors in the election process: voters, interest groups, political parties, the media, and the candidates themselves. Visit our website for sample chapters!