A Swing State No More? Demographic and Political Change in the Silver State

Editors

David A. Schultz, & Rafael Jacob (Eds.)

Document Type

Book Section

Publication Date

6-20-2018

Publication Title

Presidential Swing States, 2nd ed.

Publisher

Lexington Books

Publisher Location

Lanham, MD

Issue

2

First page number:

121

Last page number:

150

Abstract

In this chapter, we draw on a broad range of historical and contemporary data to assess the underpinnings of Nevada's swing state status. In the first section, we present data detailing Nevada's propensity to swing between the Republican and Democratic Parties. This often results in the state supporting the winning presidential candidate. Next, we examine how partisanship and ideology, two of the basic organizing principles of American politics, often have little connection to the state's political behavior. We suggest that this may be a consequence of the personal political organizations that historically dominated the state. This is followed by an analysis of how the state's population growth, rapid urbanization, and increased ethnic and racial diversification regionalized--and largely regularized--politics in the Silver State. The chapter concludes by assessing the likelihood that Nevada will continue to be a swing state in future presidential elections.

Language

eng


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