Presidential Elections: Strategies of American Electoral Politics

by Nelson W. Polsby

A classic, and a bestseller for 30 years, Presidential Elections,10th Edition, is thoroughly updated to reflect our current system of choosing a president. Published in time for the 2000 elections, Polsby and Wildavsky give an insiders view of the complexity and intensity of the selection process. In particular, the authors discuss the choices politicians make in light of the changing political environment -- the professionalization of campaigns, political parties, primary elections, and national conventions -- and recent voter behavior dynamics.

Genres: Politics, Political Science

299 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Nelson Woolf Polsby was an American political scientist. He specialized in the study of the United States presidency, the United States Congress and how governmental policies and practices evolve.

Polsby was the Heller Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He was the editor of the American Political Science Review from 1971–77 and the founding editor of the Annual Review of Political Science from 1998 until his death in 2007.

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I taught a course on campsigns in presidential election years decades ago, this was one of my textbooks. Polsby and Wildavsky provide a nice freamwork for analyzing presidential elections. Their writing style is also accessible to undergraduate students.

The first part of the book reflects upon the "strategic environment" of presidential elections. This ioncludes such factors as voters and what motivates them, groups, the Electoral College, money, and the information environment. The next sequence of chapters looks at how candidiates strive to get nominated and--once nominated--elected. Then, the role of issues in presidential electiosn and how elections serve to affect future policy decisions.

This volume is one in a series of estimable volumes. While this is an older volume, it is a fine exemplar of the series.

[Shrut Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is updated every presidential election cycle and is a phenomenal introduction into the world of U.S. presidential elections and how candidates win (or lose). Highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to be better informed about the upcoming November elections.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good upper-level college text on the processes and politics of US presidential elections. The writing is clear and the examples are extensive enough to provide clarity to what can be abstract ideas. Topics include the primary election system, the electoral college, the management of campaigns, fund-raising, media, and polling. The appendices are also excellent, providing data on voting by various demographic measures.