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The Surge of the Small Donorate in U.S. Elections: A View from Texas Statewide Campaigns.”
This research takes aim at the rise of small-dollar contributors and engages the question of how they are redirecting campaigns and elections. Relying on complete data on contributions from statewide elections in Texas, we detail the increase of these contributors across a 20-year span, and six election cycles.
Over the last twenty years, a remarkable surge in small donor contributing has been observed throughout the United States. Little is known, however, about the geographic origin of these small donors. In this research, we ask whether the impressive emergence of small donors is observed in the same places the large donations spring from, or whether these donors occupy a distinct, more dispersed, geography. If the new donors are emerging from locations where donations are traditionally scarce, then perhaps this extraordinary development is more politically significant. We find that small donor fundraising has had a centrifugal impact on the campaign playing field, bringing fundraising into closer congruence with other grassroots outreach efforts. The democratization of campaign finance is well underway with observers now engaged in a vigorous debate about the consequences.
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This paper was originally published by Political Geography
Politics
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Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville
This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.
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Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas
Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.
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Who's That Knocking? A Study of the Strategic Choices Facing Large-Scale Grassroots Canvassing Efforts
Although there is a consensus that personalized forms of campaign outreach are more likely to be effective at either mobilizing or even persuading voters, there remains uncertainty about how campaigns should implement get-out-the-vote (GOTV) programs, especially at a truly expansive scale.
Relief for Trump in Sight — If Supreme Court Special Session Reins in Rogue Judges
Nationwide injunctions have proven a disaster for the federal judiciary.
The Dangers of the Political Gender Gap
Young women and men are gravitating towards opposite political extremes, with potentially explosive consequences.
How Trump Should Answer Putin’s Foot-Dragging
Although Russia possesses the strategic initiative, its advantage over Ukraine isn’t decisive and can be eroded.
