State of the Parties: 2020 and Beyond Virtual Conference
November 4 - 5, 2021
The 2020 presidential election was extraordinary: waged under pandemic conditions, it produced a dramatic increase in voter turnout, many close contests, and a tenuous one-party control of the federal government.
What role did political parties play in these events? How did the party organizations fare? What are the implications for the future? Scholars and practitioners from throughout the United States will explore the state of American party organizations, constituencies and resources at the national, state and local level.
Schedule
Please note the times listed on the schedule are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Conference papers will be linked to the schedule as they are received.
10:00 - 11:45 a.m. (EDT) - The Public and Partisan Polarization
Moderator: John Green, The University of Akron
- Peak Polarization: Ideological Division, Inter-Party Hostility and the Future of American Democracy
Alan I. Abramowitz, Emory University | Download Paper
- #Polarized2020: Division and Duress in Partisan Perceptions of COVID-19
Eric C. Vorst, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Thomas Leath, Lindenwood University | Download Paper and Appendix
- The Influence of Party ID on COVID-19 Messaging
Lara Wessel, Georgia Southern University | Download Paper
- Political Identity and Beliefs about Stolen Elections in the American Electorate
David C. Kimball, Anita Manion, and Adriano Udani, University of Missouri-St. Louis | Download Paper
12:00 - 1:45 p.m. (EDT) - Party Nominations
Moderator: David Cohen, The University of Akron
- The Consequences of Changing Primary Participation Laws for Party Registration and Partisanship
Barbara Norrander, University of Arizona, and Jay Wendland, Daemen College | Download Paper
- The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Changing Electoral Rules in the 2020 Presidential Nomination
Caitlin E. Jewitt, Virginia Tech, and Gregory Shufeldt, University of Indianapolis | Download Paper
- U.S. Primary Election Competitiveness 2010-2020
Chapman Rackaway, Radford University | Download Paper
- What do the 2020 Congressional Primaries Tell Us About the Direction of the Democratic and Republican Parties?
Robert G. Boatright, Clark University | Download Paper
2:00 - 3:45 p.m. (EDT) - State of the Parties
Moderator: John Green, The University of Akron
- The 2020 Elections and Beyond: An Era of Unstable Majorities Continues
Morris P. Fiorina, Stanford University | Download Paper
- The Public versus the Activists: Party Structure in Modern American Politics
Byron Shafer, University of Wisconsin, and Regina Wagner, University of Alabama | Download Paper
- The Grand New Party: The Republican Party in an Era of Change
Brian J. Brox, Tulane University
- Support for Ranked Choice Voting and Partisanship of Voters: Results from a National Survey Experiment
Joseph Anthony, Oklahoma State University, David C. Kimball, University of Missouri St. Louis, Jamil Scott, Georgetown University, and Jack Santucci, Drexel University | Download Paper
4:00 - 5:45 p.m. (EDT) - Geography and Partisan Polarization
Moderator: Ken Miller, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- State-Level Elected Officials, National Party Organizations, and Partisan Polarization in 2020
Anthony Sparacino, University of Richmond | Download Paper
- The Rise of the Unaffiliated Registered Voter in North Carolina
Michael Bitzer, Catawba College, Christopher Cooper, Western Carolina University, Whitney Ross Manzo, Meredith College, and Susan Roberts, Davidson College | Download Paper
- Blue Metros, Red States: The Geography of the 2020 Vote in the Swing States
David F. Damore, Robert E. Lang, and Karen A. Danielsen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Download Paper
- Turning the Natural State Red: The Rise of the GOP in Arkansas
John Davis, University of Arkansas at Monticello | Download Paper
10:00 - 11:45 a.m. (EDT) - Trumping the Party?
Moderator: Matthew Akers, The University of Akron
- From Tea Party to Trump Party
Ronald B. Rapoport and Henry Crossman, William and Mary | Download Paper
- Democracy and Disinformation: Trump, the Republican Party and the 2020 Election
Brian Conley, Suffolk University | Download Paper
- The Divided Republicans: How the ‘Paranoid Style’ is Re-Shaping Party Politics
Peter L. Francia, East Carolina University
- Riot in the Party: Voter Registrations Following the January 6, 2021 Capitol Insurrection
Daniel A. Smith and Sarah Loving, University of Florida | Download Paper
12:00 - 1:45 p.m. (EDT) - Partisanship and Identity Politics
Moderator: Mitchell McKinney, The University of Akron
- Strategic Primordialism: How Political Parties Organize Identity Politics
Shaheen Mozaffar, Bridgewater State University | Download Paper
- Party Factions Among the Voters
Stephen K. Medvic and Berwood A. Yost, Franklin & Marshall College |Download Paper and Appendix
- Orwell’s Collapse: Partisan Polarization and Its Effect on Language Use
Jakob A. Miller, Taylor University | Download Paper
- The Partisan Dynamics of Women in Elective Office: 2020 and Beyond
Laurel Elder, Hartwick College | Download Paper
2:00 - 3:45 p.m. (EDT) - Party Resources
Moderator: Stephen Brooks, The University of Akron
- Super PACs as a New Source of Gender Inequality in Congressional Elections
Paul S. Herrnson, University of Connecticut and Jennifer Heerwig, Stoney Brook University | Download Paper
- The Contribution Conundrum of Republican Female Congressional Donors
Anne Baker, Santa Clara University, and Monica Schneider, Miami University of Ohio | Download Paper
- Empty Seats, Political Imbalance, and Partisan Asymmetry at the Federal Election Commission
Karen Sebold, University of Arkansas | Download Paper
- American Party Politics: Organizational Asymmetry and Raising Stakes in the Competition for Votes Cast Abroad
Anca Turcu, University of Central Florida | Download Paper
4:00 - 5:45 p.m. (EDT) - Party Activities
Moderator: John Green, The University of Akron
- State Party Organizations, Independent Expenditures, and Spending Strategies
Jaclyn J. Kettler, Boise State University, Charles R. Hunt, Boise State University, Michael J. Malbin, University of Albany-SUNY, Brendan Glavin, The Campaign Finance Institute, and Keith E. Hamm, Rice University |Download Paper
- Nationalized Spending in the 2020 House and Senate Campaigns
Kenneth M. Miller, University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Download Paper
- Are Super PACs Super-Efficient? Independent Expenditures in House Elections
Dante J. Scala, University of New Hampshire | Download Paper
- The Ground Game in 2020
Paul A. Beck, The Ohio State University | Download Paper
Questions:
Contact: Kim Haverkamp
Phone: 330-972-5182
Email: kh1@uakron.edu