Party Politics in America

by Marjorie Randon Hershey

Considered the "gold standard" of political parties texts, this new, eighteenth edition of Party Politics in America moves its comprehensive and authoritative coverage into the age of deepened partisan conflict, expanded presidential power, and global health threats. Marjorie Randon Hershey builds on the book’s three-pronged coverage of party organization, party in the electorate, and party in government and integrates important developments in racial politics, social media use, and battles over access to the vote. The book uses contemporary examples to bring to life the fascinating story of how parties shape our political system. New to the eighteenth edition: • Fully updated through the 2020 election, including changes in virtually all of the boxed materials, the chapters, and the data presented. • Examines the impact of the Trump presidency on the Republican Party’s supporting coalition and issue positions, changes in party and ideological polarization, and the return to the world of campaign finance of "interested money" from big (and often anonymous) donors. • Explores political attitudes and voter turnout among college-age and other young voters in light of dramatic changes in American politics and the economy. • Expanded online Instructor’s Resources, including author-written test banks, essay questions, relevant websites with correlated sample assignments, the book’s appendix, and links to a collection of course syllabi.

Genres: Politics, Political Science, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Textbooks

418 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

"Margie Hershey has inspired generations of students to become active citizens, to take part in community life, and to use knowledge gained in the classroom to engage the world." --Jack Bielasiak, Interim Chair of the Department of Political Science

Reviews

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This text has been around for a very long time--I believe mine was the 15th edition of the book--and is a go-to text for an entry-level look at the dynamics of party politics in America. The authors have done a good job of keeping the text updated, ensuring it reflects the modern versions of the parties and remains accurate when describing recent trends in party behavior.

I don't think many people would describe it as a "fun" or "enjoyable" read; it is most certainly a textbook down to the core of its being, written in the familiar textbook style. But if that's what you are in need of, this gets the job done.

One item that I greatly appreciated in the text was that the many charts, sidebars, and inserts were (almost) always set in such a way that they followed the end of a paragraph, allowing me to finish the author's thought and then move on to the graphic. This may seem like small potatoes, but I always find it tiresome to pause in my reading to look at a graph, then have to search for the spot at which I left off. I don't know why more books can't accomplish a more natural layout, but this is an area where Hershey's book excels.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exaimes the role and power of political parties in American politics. It also exaimes why politicans feel they they owe loyalty to the party instead of to tthe voters who elect them.

[Sarah]

Phenomenally-written text on party politics over time.

[Andres Salvat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best textbook I was assigned as a poli sci student in undergrad. Easy to understand, with a lot of extensive knowledge on party structure on all levels of government. If you want to know how political scientists speak, the key terms here are incredible

[DW Rowlands · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were too basic for me, but I think it could plausibly have been more interesting if I hadn't read such an outdated edition...

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the book that's been sending my brain to la-la-land lately. Very informative. For a textbook.

What I have learned from this book is never to take any Poli Sci classes again.