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A strong case can be made that the South has had the greatest impact of any region on the transformation of U.S. politics and government. Since 1968, we have seen the demise of the "solid (Democratic) South" and the rise of the Republican-dominated South; the rise of the largely southern white evangelical religious right movement; and demographic changes that have vastly altered the political landscape of the region and national politics. Overriding all of these changes is the major constant of southern politics: race. Since the 1990s, the Republican Party has dominated politics in the Southern United States. Race relations were a large factor in this shift that began about a half century ago, but nonetheless, race and demographic change are once again realigning party politics in the region, this time back toward an emergent Democratic Party. Membership in the Southern Democratic Party is majority African American, Latino, and Asian, and rapidly expanding with an influx of immigrants, primarily Latino. While race continues to shape politics in the region, population growth is, as this book argues, the major factor affecting politics in the South. In fact, the populations of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have grown more rapidly than the population of the nation as a whole over the past half century--and each of these states has gained at least one seat in Congress. These growth states are the ones in which populations are diversifying, economies are surging, and Democrats are making headway. They, along with Florida and Texas, are also among the most competitive states with the largest numbers of Electoral College votes in the region. It is likely, therefore, that among the key battlegrounds for determining the presidency will be the southern states with the fastest growing populations. This will especially be the case once the Latino population in Texas mobilizes. This book describes and analyzes the ways in which demographic change has shaped politics in the South since the late 1960s and may enable the Democratic Party in the future to re-take politics in the region, and even shut out Republicans from the nation's highest office.
Show moreA strong case can be made that the South has had the greatest impact of any region on the transformation of U.S. politics and government. Since 1968, we have seen the demise of the "solid (Democratic) South" and the rise of the Republican-dominated South; the rise of the largely southern white evangelical religious right movement; and demographic changes that have vastly altered the political landscape of the region and national politics. Overriding all of these changes is the major constant of southern politics: race. Since the 1990s, the Republican Party has dominated politics in the Southern United States. Race relations were a large factor in this shift that began about a half century ago, but nonetheless, race and demographic change are once again realigning party politics in the region, this time back toward an emergent Democratic Party. Membership in the Southern Democratic Party is majority African American, Latino, and Asian, and rapidly expanding with an influx of immigrants, primarily Latino. While race continues to shape politics in the region, population growth is, as this book argues, the major factor affecting politics in the South. In fact, the populations of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have grown more rapidly than the population of the nation as a whole over the past half century--and each of these states has gained at least one seat in Congress. These growth states are the ones in which populations are diversifying, economies are surging, and Democrats are making headway. They, along with Florida and Texas, are also among the most competitive states with the largest numbers of Electoral College votes in the region. It is likely, therefore, that among the key battlegrounds for determining the presidency will be the southern states with the fastest growing populations. This will especially be the case once the Latino population in Texas mobilizes. This book describes and analyzes the ways in which demographic change has shaped politics in the South since the late 1960s and may enable the Democratic Party in the future to re-take politics in the region, and even shut out Republicans from the nation's highest office.
Show moreCharles S. Bullock, III, is the Distinguished University Professor of Public and International Affairs, holds the Richard B. Russell Chair in Political Science, and is Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Georgia. In 2005 and 2009, he was a senior fellow at Oxford University's Rothermere American Institute. Susan A. MacManus is Distinguished University Professor Emerita at the University of South Florida. Beginning with the 2016 presidential election cycle, she has been the political analyst for WFTS-TV (ABC Action News, Tampa). She is the author of numerous publications on politics and history, and also serves on the UF Bob Graham Center For Public Service Council of Advisors and on the Board of Directors of the Florida TaxWatch Center for Florida Citizenship. Jeremy D. Mayer is Associate Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He has written books and articles on diverse topics such as race and presidential campaigns, public opinion toward torture, presidential image management, Christian right politics, federalism and gay rights, and comparative political socialization. Mark J. Rozell is the founding dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government, and the Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Chair in Public Policy at George Mason University. He is the author of numerous published studies on various topics in U.S. government and politics, including the presidency, religion and politics, southern politics, and interest group politics.
The book is rich with data and contextual analysis, and these
esteemed authors provide compelling evidence to support their
thesis that the Southdidinfluence politics at the national level as
they unpack the region's present racial dynamics, demographics, and
religious identity.
*J.C. Davis, University of Arkansas at Monticello, CHOICE*
This isn't your grandparents' South anymore. The authors expertly
highlight the profound demographic, economic, and political
transformation taking place in the South in the second decade of
the 21st century. The South and the Transformation of U.S. Politics
will be required reading for all trying to understand southern
politics in the early 21st century.
*Scott E. Buchanan, author of Some of the People Who Ate My
Barbecue Didn't Vote for Me*
This book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to gain insight
into the contemporary world of Southern politics. Bullock et al.
provide a much-needed scholarly update, focusing on the major
themes of demographics, partisanship, race, and religion that
undergird politics in the region.
*M.V. Hood III, University of Georgia*
In 1949, V.O. Key described a South that was ruled by white
conservatives, whichneeded democracy, and which held the prospect
for pluralist politics. Three generations later, the South is
dramatically transformed as blacks and Hispanics enter politics;
the cities and suburbs hold ample political power; the economy of
the region diversifies and booms; and, still, yet, conservatives
dominate the politics and we continue to ponder whether democracy
in the South is to be had, or earned. This book needs to sit on the
desk of every student of American politics, because the past still
ain't even past in the South.
*Keith Gaddie, The University of Oklahoma, and co-author of The
Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act*
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