Atlas of the 2008 Elections
Edited by Stanley D. Brunn, Gerald R. Webster, Richard L. Morrill, Fred M. Shelley, Stephen J. Lavin, J. Clark Archer
Publication date:
15 July 2011Length of book:
336 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9780742567955
The U.S. presidential election of 2008 was one of the most significant elections in recent American history. Bringing together leading geographers and political scientists, this authoritative atlas analyzes and maps the campaigns, primaries, general election, and key state referenda to provide a rich picture of this watershed event.
The contributors offer a comprehensive and detailed assessment of all aspects of the election, providing presidential results at the national level, in major regions, and in swing states. Drilling down to county level, they trace voting patterns for key racial, ethnic, religious, and occupational groups. They also illustrate the campaign strategies of Democratic and Republican party leaders. Moving beyond the national race, the atlas compares important senatorial and gubernatorial races to presidential votes and considers selected state referenda such as marriage amendments, farm animal cruelty, stem cell research, and physician-assisted suicide. For added context and depth, the 2008 election results are compared with previous national elections.
Illustrated with more than 200 meticulously drawn full-color maps, the atlas will be an essential reference and a fascinating resource for pundits, voters, campaign staffs, and political junkies alike.
Contributions by: John Agnew, J. Clark Archer, William Berentsen, Stanley D. Brunn, Thomas E. Chapman, Jeffrey R. Crump, Carl T. Dahlman, David Darmofal, Lisa M. DeChano-Cook, Mark Drayse, Joshua J. Dyck, Ryan D. Enos, Daniel Ervin, John W. Frazier, Megan A. Gall, Andrew Gelman, James G. Gimpel, Alex Ginsburg, Sean P. Gorman, Mark Graham, Nathaniel HadleyDike, John Heppen, Heather Hollen, Taylor Johnson, Kimberly Karnes, Larry Knopp, Matt Landers, Stephen J. Lavin, Jonathan I. Leib, Kenneth C. Martis, John McNulty, Joshua R. Meddaugh, Melissa R. Michelson, Mark A. Moody, Toby Moore, Richard L. Morrill, J. Eric Oliver, Kathleen O'Reilly, Nick Quinton, Mark E. Reisinger, Wesley J. Reisser, Tony Robinson, Fred M. Shelley, Taylor Shelton, Jonathan Taylor, Andrew J. Turner, Tom Vanderhorst, Barney Warf, Robert Watrel, Gerald R. Webster, and Matthew Zook.
The contributors offer a comprehensive and detailed assessment of all aspects of the election, providing presidential results at the national level, in major regions, and in swing states. Drilling down to county level, they trace voting patterns for key racial, ethnic, religious, and occupational groups. They also illustrate the campaign strategies of Democratic and Republican party leaders. Moving beyond the national race, the atlas compares important senatorial and gubernatorial races to presidential votes and considers selected state referenda such as marriage amendments, farm animal cruelty, stem cell research, and physician-assisted suicide. For added context and depth, the 2008 election results are compared with previous national elections.
Illustrated with more than 200 meticulously drawn full-color maps, the atlas will be an essential reference and a fascinating resource for pundits, voters, campaign staffs, and political junkies alike.
Contributions by: John Agnew, J. Clark Archer, William Berentsen, Stanley D. Brunn, Thomas E. Chapman, Jeffrey R. Crump, Carl T. Dahlman, David Darmofal, Lisa M. DeChano-Cook, Mark Drayse, Joshua J. Dyck, Ryan D. Enos, Daniel Ervin, John W. Frazier, Megan A. Gall, Andrew Gelman, James G. Gimpel, Alex Ginsburg, Sean P. Gorman, Mark Graham, Nathaniel HadleyDike, John Heppen, Heather Hollen, Taylor Johnson, Kimberly Karnes, Larry Knopp, Matt Landers, Stephen J. Lavin, Jonathan I. Leib, Kenneth C. Martis, John McNulty, Joshua R. Meddaugh, Melissa R. Michelson, Mark A. Moody, Toby Moore, Richard L. Morrill, J. Eric Oliver, Kathleen O'Reilly, Nick Quinton, Mark E. Reisinger, Wesley J. Reisser, Tony Robinson, Fred M. Shelley, Taylor Shelton, Jonathan Taylor, Andrew J. Turner, Tom Vanderhorst, Barney Warf, Robert Watrel, Gerald R. Webster, and Matthew Zook.
This beautifully executed work uses maps, charts, and text to effectively analyze and communicate the interplay of political forces and geography in the 2008 elections. The atlas is divided into 10 chapters, each with maps and commentary. Chapters 2 through 6 focus on the presidential election, describing the outcomes of the primaries and caucuses that led to the nominations of Senators Obama and McCain, their election campaigns, media coverage, and endorsements. Election results are analyzed at the state and county levels, then by region, with an emphasis on swing states. Comparisons with the 2004 election are provided. Socioeconomic indicators are examined by focusing on the extremes—the 200 counties with the highest and lowest rankings on selected variables. The resulting maps and narratives effectively portray the effect of variables such as military presence, education, in- and out-migration, employment by economic sector, creative class employment, race, ethnicity, and income on the election outcome. Chapter 7 examines selected campaigns for Senate seats and governorships, while chapter 8 discusses the geography of voting on several state referenda involving controversial issues, including same-sex marriage, abortion, and physician-assisted suicide. Chapter 9 focuses on election results at the congressional-district level and analysis of several important 2009 House votes. Finally, chapter 10 offers 10 brief scenarios about the American electoral landscape. The 200-plus maps are the heart of this work, of course, and they do not disappoint, effectively using a wide range of colors, clear captions, and a variety of mapping styles. The atlas ends with a sampling of bumper stickers and commemorative stamps that evoke nostalgia just three years after the election. The index covers, and effectively differentiates, graphs, maps, tables, and text. Much more than a reference work, this atlas will engage the casual reader as well as the political junkie. Recommended for all public, academic, and middle- and high-school libraries—many libraries will want to add a copy to their circulating collections as well.