Primary Elections and Partisan Polarization in the U.S. Congress
| Title: | Primary Elections and Partisan Polarization in the U.S. Congress |
| Author: |
Ansolabehere, Stephen Daniel; Hirano, Shigeo; Hansen, John Mark; Snyder, James M., Jr.
Note: Order does not necessarily reflect citation order of authors. |
| Citation: | Hirano, Shigeo, James M. Snyder Jr., Stephen Daniel Ansolabehere, and John Mark Hansen. 2010. Primary elections and partisan polarization in the U.S. Congress. Quarterly Journal of Political Science 5(2): 169-191. |
| Full Text & Related Files: |
Ansolabehere_Primary.pdf (127.2Kb; PDF) 
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| Abstract: | Many observers and scholars argue that primary elections contribute to ideological polarization in U.S. politics. We test this claim using congressional elections and roll call voting behavior. Many of our findings are null. We find little evidence that the introduction of primary elections, the level of primary election turnout, or the threat of primary competition are associated with partisan polarization in congressional roll call voting. We also find little evidence that extreme roll call voting records are positively associated with primary election outcomes. A positive finding is that general election competition exerts pressure toward convergence as extreme roll call voting is negatively correlated with general election outcomes. |
| Published Version: | doi:10.1561/100.00008052 |
| Terms of Use: | This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#LAA |
| Citable link to this page: | http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:9949294 |
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Peer reviewed scholarly articles from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University
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