Race Rules: Electoral Politics in New Orleans, 1965-2006

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Race Rules: Electoral Politics in New Orleans, 1965-2006 examines one of the innumerable ramifications of Hurricane Katrina: a reversal in the decades-long process of racial transition, from white dominant to black dominant. The electoral consequences of such a racial change - in a city where race has historically played a pronounced social, economic, and political role - are potentially dramatic. In light of the 2006 New Orleans mayoral election, the following emerges as a significant question: Does a change in the population's racial composition mean a reversal in the political status of African Americans in New Orleans To address this question, Liu and Vanderleeuw investigate racial voting patterns in New Orleans' municipal elections over a forty year span from 1965 to 2006.Race Rules argues that as an enduring influence in urban politics race manifests as either electoral conflict or electoral accommodation, but not as acceptance of the political empowerment of "other race" members.

Reviews

The authors of this unique longitudinal study of racial voting patterns challenge both Key's racial threat hypothesis and the racial tolerance hypothesis. As the authors show in the thorough analysis of decades of New Orleans' elections, racial voting patterns are the product of the racial makeup of the electorate and the candidate pool. This volume should be on the shelf of all those interested in racial politics and urban politics. -- Charles S. Bullock III, University of Georgia
Liu and Vanderleeuw reaffirm that in urban politics race still matters and they provide a fresh insight into how it matters. As the post-civil rights era matures, they show that to understand electoral urban politics where race is involved is not so much V.O. Key's notion of 'black threat' to which we should attend, but rather his statement 'voters are not fools.' -- Jeffrey Sadow, Louisiana State University, Shreveport

Author Bio

Baodong Liu is associate professor of political science at the University of Utah.
James M. Vanderleeuw is professor of political science and Director of the Center of Public Policy Studies at Lamar University, Texas.