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Down Ballot
When an obscure primary election met the culture
wars
In 1990, a suburban Chicago race for the Republican Party
nomination for state representative unexpectedly became a national
proxy battle over abortion in the United States. But the
hard-fought primary also illustrated the overlooked importance of
down-ballot contests in America's culture wars. Patrick Wohl offers
the dramatic account of a rollercoaster campaign that, after
attracting political celebrities and a media circus, came down to
thirty-one votes, a coin toss to determine the winner, and a
recount fight that set a precedent for how to count dimpled chads.
As the story unfolds, Wohl provides a rare nuts-and-bolts look at
an election for state office from its first days through the
Illinois Supreme Court decision that decided the winner--and set
the stage for a decisive 1992 rematch.
A compelling political page-turner, Down Ballot takes
readers behind the scenes of a legendary Illinois election.
eBook
Still dreaming : my journey from the barrio to Capitol Hill
The 11-term Congressman \"recounts his life between two worlds: too Puerto Rican in America, where he was born and yet was told to 'go back to where you came from'; too American in Puerto Rico, where he was ridiculed as a 'gringo' who couldn't speak Spanish\"--Dust jacket flap.
Book
The House That Madigan Built
Michael Madigan rose from the Chicago machine to hold unprecedented
power as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. In his
thirty-six years wielding the gavel, Madigan outlasted governors,
passed or blocked legislation at will, and outmaneuvered virtually
every attempt to limit his reach.
Veteran reporter Ray Long draws on four decades of observing
state government to provide the definitive political analysis of
Michael Madigan. Secretive, intimidating, shrewd,
power-hungry--Madigan mesmerized his admirers and often left his
opponents too beaten down to oppose him. Long vividly recreates the
battles that defined the Madigan era, from stunning James Thompson
with a lightning-strike tax increase, to pressing for a pension
overhaul that ultimately failed in the courts, to steering the
House toward the Rod Blagojevich impeachment. Long also shines a
light on the machinery that kept the Speaker in power. Head of a
patronage army, Madigan ruthlessly used his influence and
fundraising prowess to reward loyalists and aid his daughter's
electoral fortunes. At the same time, he reshaped bills to
guarantee he and his Democratic troops shared in the partisan
spoils of his legislative victories. Yet Madigan's position as the
state's seemingly invulnerable power broker could not survive
scandals among his close associates and the widespread belief that
his time as Speaker had finally reached its end.
Unsparing and authoritative, The House That Madigan
Built is the page-turning account of one the most powerful
politicians in Illinois history.
eBook
Tammy Duckworth
\"How did Tammy Duckworth become a Senator? Readers will learn all about this great Asian American politician and the significant events in her life in this...biography.\"--Amazon.com.
Book
Fighting for the speakership
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the most powerful partisan figure in the contemporary U.S. Congress. How this came to be, and how the majority party in the House has made control of the speakership a routine matter, is far from straightforward.Fighting for the Speakershipprovides a comprehensive history of how Speakers have been elected in the U.S. House since 1789, arguing that the organizational politics of these elections were critical to the construction of mass political parties in America and laid the groundwork for the role they play in setting the agenda of Congress today.
Jeffery Jenkins and Charles Stewart show how the speakership began as a relatively weak office, and how votes for Speaker prior to the Civil War often favored regional interests over party loyalty. While struggle, contention, and deadlock over House organization were common in the antebellum era, such instability vanished with the outbreak of war, as the majority party became an \"organizational cartel\" capable of controlling with certainty the selection of the Speaker and other key House officers. This organizational cartel has survived Gilded Age partisan strife, Progressive Era challenge, and conservative coalition politics to guide speakership elections through the present day.Fighting for the Speakershipreveals how struggles over House organization prior to the Civil War were among the most consequential turning points in American political history.
eBook
Legislative entrepreneurship in the U.S. House of Representatives (Michigan studies in political analysis)
When members are elected to the House of Representatives they have a certain freedom to decide how they will act as members and how they will build their reputations. Just as in the market place entrepreneurs build businesses, so in the House of Representatives members have the freedom to choose to build legislative programs that will enhance their reputations in the institution. And yet entrepreneurship is also costly to members. Gregory Wawro explains why members of the House engage in legislative entrepreneurship by examining what motivates them to acquire policy knowledge, draft legislation, build coalitions, and push their legislation in the House. He considers what incentives members have to perform what many have perceived to be the difficult and unrewarding tasks of legislating.
This book shows how becoming a legislative entrepreneur relates to members' goals of reelection, enacting good public policy, and obtaining influence in the House. The analysis differs from previous studies of this behavior, which for the most part have employed case study methods and have relied on anecdotal evidence to support their arguments. Wawro analyzes legislative entrepreneurship in a general and systematic fashion, developing hypotheses from rational-choice-based theories and testing these hypotheses using quantitative methods.
Wawro argues that members engage in legislative entrepreneurship in order to get ahead within the House. He finds that the more legislative entrepreneurship that members engage in, the more likely it is that they will advance to prestigious positions.
This book is of interest to students of Congress, legislative behavior and institutions, elections, and campaign finance.
Gregory Wawro is Assistant Professor of Political Science, Columbia University.
eBook
The House Will Come To Order
In a state assumed to have a constitutionally weak governor, the Speaker of the Texas House wields enormous power, with the ability to almost single-handedly dictate the legislative agenda. The House Will Come to Order charts the evolution of the Speaker's role from a relatively obscure office to one of the most powerful in the state. This fascinating account, drawn from the Briscoe Center's oral history project on the former Speakers, is the story of transition, modernization, and power struggles. Weaving a compelling story of scandal, service, and opportunity, Patrick Cox and Michael Phillips describe the divisions within the traditional Democratic Party, the ascendance of Republicans, and how Texas business, agriculture, and media shaped perceptions of officeholders. While the governor and lieutenant governor wielded their power, the authors show how the modern Texas House Speaker built an office of equal power as the state became more complex and diverse. The authors also explore how race, class, and gender affected this transition as they explain the importance of the office in Texas and the impact the state's Speakers have had on national politics. At the apex of its power, the Texas House Speaker's role at last receives the critical consideration it deserves.
eBook
A Woman in Both Houses
The first woman to serve in both houses of the New Mexico legislature, Pauline Eisenstadt has witnessed many exciting moments in the state's political history and made much of that history herself. Her memoir takes readers to the floors of the House and Senate, offering an insider's view of how New Mexico's government operates-or doesn't.
\"I always had great respect for [Pauline's] integrity, honesty, and leadership, and A Woman in Both Houses does a great job of conveying her character, her concerns, and her profound affection for our state and its citizens.\"-Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico
\"This colorful book offers a unique view from a seat in both the House and the Senate. It is a poignant memoir of one of New Mexico's woman legislator pioneers. Pauline is a true role model for aspiring women leaders in our state and beyond and this book shows us why.\"-Diane Denish, former lieutenant governor of New Mexico
\"I recommend A Woman in Both Houses to anyone who enjoys viewing New Mexico politics from an insider's perspective.\"-Senator Jeff Bingaman
eBook
THE POWER TO REMOVE: A COMPARATIVE INQUIRY INTO RECALL MECHANISMS IN INDONESIA AND THE PHILIPPINES
This study investigates the implementation of recall mechanisms in Indonesia and the Philippines, highlighting their roles in fostering political accountability and public participation. Recall, as a democratic tool, allows citizens to remove elected officials before the end of their term, ensuring responsiveness and integrity in governance. Utilizing a comparative legal approach, this research examines the distinct frameworks and political contexts of recall in the two countries. In Indonesia, recall is centralized and primarily applied at the national legislative level, reflecting efforts to maintain institutional stability amidst complex political dynamics. Conversely, the Philippines adopts a decentralized approach, with recall mechanisms empowering local communities to hold their leaders accountable. While both systems aim to enhance accountability, significant differences exist in their processes, actors, and outcomes. Indonesia’s model emphasizes party control and institutional safeguards, often limiting public participation, whereas the Philippines prioritizes citizen involvement, albeit at the risk of politicization and instability. This comparative analysis underscores the interplay between political systems, cultural dynamics, and democratic values, offering critical insights for policymakers and scholars seeking to refine accountability frameworks.
Journal Article