More Than Blue, More Than Yankee : Complexity and Change in New England Politics

New England politics can, at first blush, appear monochromatic. After all, only one member of the entire region’s delegation to the US Congress is a Republican, and citizens have elected few Republicans to the US House or Senate in the last decade. But this has not always been the case. In 1948, only two states in the region–Rhode Island and Connecticut–had Democratic senators. Yet a closer examination of the region today reveals fascinating political variation. Liberal policies, greater diversity, and engaged political movements are reshaping stereotypical Yankee tendencies of close-fisted government, whiteness, and laconic discourse.

This collection of new essays captures both the political history and contemporary moment in this region and exposes the surprisingly varied political landscape. It examines historical shifts, regional developments, and the politics of its states to argue that New England has been and continues to be an important part of the national political puzzle, from demonstrating democratic principles in early America to producing major contemporary figures such as Elizabeth Warren, Ayanna Pressley, and Susan Collins. The political shifts at work in New England mirror the South’s transformation, but have received much less attention. This volume corrects that omission by profiling political movements and candidates, political rhetoric from activists to pundits, and demographics and voting in each state as well as the region as a whole.

In addition to material by the editors, this important collection includes contributions from Rachael V. Cobb, Jerold Duquette, Christopher J. Galdieri, Jane JaKyung Han, Douglas B. Harris, Luis Jiménez, Scott McLean, James Melcher, Maureen Moakley, Paul Petterson, and Dante J. Scala.

Amy Fried is professor emerita of political science at the University of Maine. Her most recent book is At War with Government: How Conservatives Weaponized Distrust from Goldwater to Trump, co-authored by Douglas B. Harris. Fried is also the author of Pathways to Polling: Crisis, Cooperation, and the Making of Public Opinion Professions; Muffled Echoes: Oliver North and the Politics of Public Opinion; and many shorter works in scholarly edited volumes and journals. She will be president of the New England Political Science Association from 2024–2025.

Erin O’Brien is professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her research has appeared in American Journal of Political Science, Perspectives on Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Women & Politics. She is also author of three books: The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism: Reputation Meets Reality, co-edited with Jerold Duquette; The Politics of Identity: Solidarity Building among America’s Working Poor; and Diversity in Contemporary American Politics and Government, co-edited with David A. Dulio. O’Brien’s commentary appears in outlets including All Thing Considered (NPR), The Atlantic, The Associated Press (AP), Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, Marketplace (NPR), Newsweek, The New York Times, PBS Newshour, The Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Locally, she is a regular commentator for Boston25, GBH, and NBC10 Boston.