What does it take to win the White House? This book helps students understand both the issues and how and why people vote for one candidate. After discussing the dynamics of the primary campaigns, the authors examine three broad sets of issues that play a key role in voting: foreign policy, domestic policies, and the culture wars.

What does it take to win the White House? This book helps students understand both the issues and how and why people vote for one candidate. After discussing the dynamics of the primary campaigns, the authors examine three broad sets of issues that play a key role in voting: foreign policy, domestic policies, and the culture wars. This sets the foundations for an examination of regional similarities and differences in voting patterns, as the varying salience and valence of issues-whether general or specific-is explored across and within regions. Special attention is paid to battleground states. Drawing on concepts from political science, this book advances students' understanding both of the field and the phenomenon.

Introduction: A United States Divided in Two - PART I: THE PRIMARY SEASON - Choosing the Candidates - PART II: THE ISSUES - Foreign Policy - Economic and Domestic Policies - The Culture War - PART III: THE REGIONS - The Northeast - The South and Border States - The Midwest - The West - PART IV: BEYOND THE 2004 ELECTION - Presiding Over the Electoral and Congressional Divide