The Native Son Presidential Candidate: The Carter Vote in Georgia

(Hardback)

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This pioneering work offers a theoretical perspective on two new variables that shape presidential voting behavior in America. It does this through an exploration of the impact that native son presidential candidate Jimmy Carter had upon his home state electorate in Georgia. The work fully documents the electoral support that Carter received in his twelve elections in the state of Georgia and the support he garnered for his former vice president in the 1984 presidential election. This is the first longitudinal study to examine the impact of native son candidates on voting behavior. It concludes that native son presidential candidates do affect voting behavior in their states and that this effect sometimes extends such behavior throughout their region. This study and its conclusions will be of interest to scholars and historians in political science and presidential studies.

Reviews

Walton's unique book will be of value to students of state elections and politics generally and of Georgia politics specifically. Walton (Savannah State College) provides a longitudinal analysis of Georgia state voting in all of Jimmy Carter's campaigns from 1962 (for state senator) to the 1980 presidential contest. He establishes the groundwork for his analysis with a helpful opening chapter describing the Georgia electorate. Subsequent chapters describe state voting for Carter in 12 races and the former president's potential influence on presidential voting in Georgia in 1984. Among other interesting findings, the author shows how state voting patterns were generally consistent throughout Carter's career until the "native son" 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns resulted in pro-Carter coalitions among groups that generally did not vote together in statewide electoral contests. The analysis of black voting patterns in Carter's Georgia campaigns adds to the value of the study. Recommended for students of state politics and highly commended to analysts of Georgia politics.-Choice
"Walton's unique book will be of value to students of state elections and politics generally and of Georgia politics specifically. Walton (Savannah State College) provides a longitudinal analysis of Georgia state voting in all of Jimmy Carter's campaigns from 1962 (for state senator) to the 1980 presidential contest. He establishes the groundwork for his analysis with a helpful opening chapter describing the Georgia electorate. Subsequent chapters describe state voting for Carter in 12 races and the former president's potential influence on presidential voting in Georgia in 1984. Among other interesting findings, the author shows how state voting patterns were generally consistent throughout Carter's career until the "native son" 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns resulted in pro-Carter coalitions among groups that generally did not vote together in statewide electoral contests. The analysis of black voting patterns in Carter's Georgia campaigns adds to the value of the study. Recommended for students of state politics and highly commended to analysts of Georgia politics."-Choice

Author Bio

HANES WALTON, JR. is Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Political Science at Savannah State College in Georgia. He is the author of nine books, including most recently When the Marching Stopped: The Politics of Civil Rights Regulatory Agencies (1988).