In this era of electoral volatility and deep public divide, the mood—and results—of the 2008 and 2010 elections could not have been more different. How do the lessons drawn from the 2008 elections apply to 2010? In careful analysis of both contests, the authors examine the midterm election results and then turn to their analysis of the National Election Study surveys, while making sure to incorporate and discuss the most recent literature. Updates to this edition include coverage of:

• the difference between the 2008 and 2010 electorates;

• the dominance of the economy in both races and their outcomes;

• the impact of unified party government on nationalizing elections;

• the virtual elimination of “cross-pressured” congressional districts;

• the magnitude of campaign spending and its consequences;

• the role of the Tea Party movement; and

• the outlook for the 2012 elections—and likely presidential candidates.

As with all books in the Change and Continuity series, the authors present election data in a straightforward, accessible manner with an array of thorough, yet student-friendly graphics.

Updates to this edition include coverage of:

• the difference between the 2008 and 2010 electorates;

• the dominance of the economy in both races and their outcomes;

• the impact of unified party government on nationalizing elections;

• the virtual elimination of “cross-pressured” congressional districts;

• the magnitude of campaign spending and its consequences;

• the role of the Tea Party movement; and

• the outlook for the 2012 elections—and likely presidential candidates.

CQ Press is pleased to comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Please email heoacompliance@cqpress.com for additional information that may be available. Be sure to include your name, contact information, academic affiliation, and the title, author, and edition of the book in question.

Contact us at collegesales@cqpress.com if we may assist you in your book selection or if you have feedback to share. Thank you for your consideration of CQ Press books.

Part 1. The 2008 Presidential Election Contest
1. The Nomination Struggle
2. The General Election Campaign
3. The Election Results

Part 2. Voting Behavior in the 2008 Presidential Election
4. Who Voted?
5. Social Forces and the Vote
6. Candidates, Issues, and the Vote
7.  Presidential Performance and Candidate Choice  
8.  Party Loyalties, Policy Preferences, and the Vote

Part 3. The 2008 and 2010 Congressional Elections 
9. Candidates and Outcomes in 2008
10. The Congressional Electorate in 2008
11. The 2010 Congressional Elections

Part 4. The 2008 and 2010 Elections in Perspective
12. The 2008 and 2010 Elections and the Future of American Politics

"Many students initially lack an understanding of how the present fits into the past, and one of the greatest strengths of the Change and Continuity series is the way in which it connects recent elections to broader trends in American politics. This book offers a strong balance of competing theoretical explanations and current empirical evidence and is a must-have for any course on political behavior, campaigns and elections."

--Erin S. McAdams, College of Charleston

"This book is the latest edition of a continuing study of American national elections by three of the most eminent students of the topic. Once again it is a work of the highest quality and even more instructive than usual, given the high degree of volatility in our politics. Whatever the importance of the 2008 election, the results of the 2010 election cloud our understanding of the state and direction of our politics. Aided by their detailed analysis of the 2008 election, the authors provide us with a clear, insightful, and balanced assessment of the character and consequences of the mid-term election in 2010 for both presidential and congressional politics. It is thus a book of great value for classroom use and for students of American politics generally."

--Joseph Cooper, Johns Hopkins University

"A new edition of Change and Continuity in American Elections is always welcome for anyone teaching a course in American Voting Behavior. This new edition is an especially valuable resource given the historic quality of the 2008 election. As usual, there is wisdom in how the authors locate this election in historical context, taking into account both individual level change and the impact of major social and economic events. It is a no-brainer for me to use this text gain."

--Jack Citrin, University of California, Berkeley

"When I have taught voting and elections, or related courses, in the past I have routinely used the Change and Continuity books by Abramson, Aldrich, and Rohde. The textbook successfully blends theoretical discussion of political behavior with accessible, compelling narratives of recent presidential and congressional campaigns, and current findings from the venerable American National Election Studies series, helping students understand the ways in which political scientists study elections and voting. Perhaps most importantly, the authors also place recent elections in a rich historical context, illustrating the key trends in the public mood, party allegiances, and voting patterns over time."

--Chris Lawrence, Texas A&M International University

"I have used the Change and Continuity books for many years and have always found them ideal for my elections and voting behavior course. They have consistently provided the best set of findings from the most recent National Election Study. Furthermore, they have proved doubly valuable because they astutely place these findings in historical perspective."

--Martin P. Wattenberg, University of California, Irvine

"In a world of change it is a blessing to know that there will be continuity in the extraordinary series represented by this latest installment, which maintains the high standards of excellent scholarship, accessibility, timeliness, and historical perspective."

--M. Kent Jennings, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan

"For discussions of voting behavior, Change and Continuity is an ideal complement to selections from earlier works such as The American Voter. For my purposes I find the chapter on party identification particularly useful, especially since it contrasts different contemporary theories."

--David O. Sears, University of California, Los Angeles

Paul R. Abramson is professor of political science at Michigan State University. He is coauthor of Value Change in Global Perspective (1995) and author of Political Attitudes in America (1983), The Political Socialization of Black Americans (1977), and Generational Change in American Politics (1975). Along with John H. Aldrich and David W. Rohde he is coauthor of fifteen additional books in the Change and Continuity series, all of which were published by CQ Press.

John H. Aldrich is Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science at Duke University. He is author of Why Parties: A Second Look (2011), coeditor of Positive Changes in Political Science (2007), and author of Why Parties (1995) and Before the Convention (1980). He is a past president of both the Southern Political Science Association and the Midwest Political Science Association. In 2001 he was elected a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

David W. Rohde is Ernestine Friedl Professor of Political Science and director of the Political Institutions and Public Choice Program at Duke University. He is coeditor of Why Not Parties? (2008), author of Parties and Leaders in the Postreform House (1991), coeditor of Home Style and Washington Work (1989), and coauthor of Supreme Court Decision Making (1976).

Instructor's Resources available for adopters!

Our Parties and Elections site has downloadable graphics; to register, click on the link below.

http://college.cqpress.com/instructors-resources/partiesandelections/