4. Classes, Unions, and the Realignment of US Presidential Voting, 1952–1992

Authors: Hout, Michael; Manza, Jeff; Brooks, Clem

Source: The End of Class Politics?, September 1999 , pp. 83-97(15)

Publisher: Oxford Scholarship Online Monographs

Key:

- Free Content

- New Content

- Subscribed Content

- Free Trial Content

Abstract:

Class voting in US presidential elections underwent a historic realignment (rather than dealignment) during the 1960s and 1970s. The middle class split their allegiance: professionals and routine white-collar workers switched from supporting Republican candidates to backing the Democrats, while the self-employed converted from fence-sitting to strong Republican support. At the same time, the Democrats lost their former blue-collar base. This chapter investigates the role of the demise of the trade unions during the realignment of class voting in the US. It concludes that the drop in union membership hurt Democratic candidates, but it does not explain the realignment of class voting in US presidential elections.

Keywords: over time change; class voting; comparative analysis; Erikson-Goldthorpe class; class politics

Document Type: Research article

This article is hosted on another website.

You may be required to register, activate a subscription or purchase the article before you can obtain the full text.

Proceed