| Contents |
Introduction. The Path to Purple -- The Building Blocks of Purple Politics. Third Time's a Charm: The North Carolina Constitution ; North Carolina Is a Purple State ; The Where Matters: The Changing Political Geography of North Carolina ; The Past Is Not Dead, It's Not Even Past: Race and North Carolina Politics ; Women Are Underrepresented at Every Level of North Carolina Politics -- The New Era of Voting, Parties, and the Information Industry in North Carolina Politics ; Even the Way We Vote Is Polarized: Voter Turnout and Election Administration in North Carolina ; The Largest Political Party in North Carolina Is None of the Above ; The Dog That Wouldn't Hunt: Unaffiliated Candidates in North Carolina Politics ; The Information Industry in North Carolina Politics: Lobbyists, Think Tanks, and Extra-Party Organizations, Oh My! -- First among Equals: The North Carolina General Assembly. The General Assembly Does Not Have Much Capacity to Govern ; It's Not All Cookies and Ice Cream: Polarization in the North Carolina General Assembly ; Gerrymandering Matters -- Vying for Power: Other Institutional Actors in North Carolina Government. The Weak North Carolina Governor: Just Enough Power to Sign the Receipt for Their Own Salary ; North Carolina Elects Judges: But Appointing Them Won't Make Them Any Less Political ; Local Politics in a Nationalized Environment: Vertical Federalism in North Carolina Politics -- Conclusion. Toward a Better North Carolina -- Appendix. An Information Guide to North Carolina Politics |
| Abstract |
"North Carolina represents a perfect distillation of the promise and peril of modern American democracy: hyperpartisanship, gerrymandering, dissatisfaction with the two-party system, the rural/urban divide-these issues are all brought into sharp relief in the Tar Heel State. For that reason, North Carolina politics and government are increasingly of interest not just to North Carolina citizens but to journalists, political observers, and people across the country. Political scientist Christopher A. Cooper, to whom the national media go when they need a quote about North Carolina politics, offers a primer made for all people, no matter their political leanings. Readers will be introduced to everything that has made North Carolina the most purple of purple states-from the state constitution and the influence of think tanks to the growing racial diversity of the state and the limitations on the governor's power. By explaining how we came to be in the political situation we are in, Cooper shows us where we might go next. And, as many have said, 'As North Carolina goes, so goes the nation.'"-- Provided by publisher. |
