Life in the Middle: Marginalized Moderate Senators in the Era of Polarization

Chaturvedi, Neilan S. (Associate Professor of Political Science, Associate Professor of Political Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona)

ISBN 10: 0197599737 / ISBN 13: 9780197599730

Published by Oxford University Press Inc, 2022

About this Item

&Uumlber den AutorNeilan S. Chaturvedi is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His research has been published in Legislative Studies Quarterly, America.

Seller Inventory # 478235785

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Life in the Middle: Marginalized Moderate Senators in the Era of Polarization
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0197599737
• ISBN 13: 9780197599730
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

A long-held belief of political scientists is that moderate voices in the Senate act as power brokers between the ideological poles, yet year after year we see partisan gridlock in Congress. Some even argue that the shrinking number of moderates only increases their political influence.

In Life in the Middle, Neilan S. Chaturvedi argues that the belief in the powerful, pivotal moderate neglects their electoral circumstances and overestimates their legislative power. In other words, not all Senators are elected under equal circumstances. Chaturvedi posits that, unlike their ideological counterparts who are elected from states that share an ideological identity, moderates are elected from one of two constituencies: states that have a partisan lean to one party but have enough "swing voters" to vote in a moderate from the opposite party, or states that are nearly evenly divided in terms of partisanship.

Using unique interview data with legislative directors, retired United States Senators, and data compiled from the Congressional Record, Chaturvedi shows that, because of their precarious electoral circumstances, moderate senators must avoid active participation on bills and pushing controversial legislation. Lawmaking is much more variable and less moderating than previous theories assumed, as the process relies less on the work of moderates and more on party leaders. The book also demonstrates that mainstream concerns about polarization and its negative effects of increased gridlock and ideological legislation are true.

About the Author

Neilan S. Chaturvedi is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His research has been published in Legislative Studies Quarterly, American Politics Review, and the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties among many others. His research and teaching interests focus on the American Congress and Presidency, race and ethnic politics, elections, and public opinion.