ABSTRACT
Congressional elections are inherently important. They determine who holds power in Congress and, as a consequence, determine who holds power in the entire government. For this reason alone they would be worth studying. But congressional elections also present a godsend for researchers interested in the study of campaigns and elections. By providing 435 House races every two years with varying political and economic conditions-constituencies, partisan bases, media markets, demographics, economic interests, etc.—congressional elections provide researchers with a series of “mini-laboratories” to study voters, candidates, and campaigns. The presidency, by contrast, offers only one electoral contest every four years, and a unique one at that. Thus it is unsurprising that congressional elections have attracted substantial scholarly attention. And, as a result, students of congressional elections have produced a rich, and well-respected, body of knowledge. The purpose of this chapter is to survey recent developments in the study of congressional elections and to suggest potential new frontiers of exploration.
