ABSTRACT
In a book that explores paradoxes in party loyalty and turnout, Leege and associates have developed a theory of cultural campaigning. The work examined presidential campaigns from 1952 to 2000, attempting to understand why Republicans fairly regularly won the White House despite Democratic majorities or pluralities in party identification, and turnout declined despite increasing magnitudes on predictor variables for participation. Drawing from Swidler’s classic exploration of the concept “culture,” the authors assumed that cultural identities, norms, and boundaries, far from being fixed and universal for a national society, constituted a “tool kit” for elites to utilize in pursuing their aspirations. Further, some elements of culture are often competitive and decentralized by constituent groups in society.
