While significant attention in political science is devoted to national level elections, a comprehensive look at state level political dynamics in the United States is so far sorely missing, and state level electoral developments and shifts are treated as mere reflections of national-level dynamics and patterns.

“Top-down interpretations of American politics are everywhere, interpretations in which state and local developments are mainly reflections--even merely examples--of a national story.  So a bottom-up approach is instantly noteworthy, and few if any states have changed as much as Alabama in this bottom-up interpretation of postwar Alabama politics.”

 --Byron E. Shafer, Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, USA

 “This book provides an excellent analysis of electoral change in arguably the most “southern” of southern states since 1945, and interplay of class and race in Alabama politics past and present.”

--Nicol Rae, Associate Dean, College of Applied Science and Technology Professor, University of Arizona, USA

 “This is an invaluable addition to the scholarly literature on Southern politics and party realignment.” 

--Harold F. Bass, Department of Political Science, Ouachita Baptist University, USA

While significant attention in political science is devoted to national level elections, a comprehensive look at state level political dynamics in the United States is so far sorely missing, and state level electoral developments and shifts are treated as mere reflections of national-level dynamics and patterns, which significantly impacts our ability to understand macro-level electoral shifts in the United States in general. This book analyzes gubernatorial, congressional, and presidential election results in the state of Alabama from 1945 through 2020. Comprehensive maps of county-level partisan shifts over time make it possible to isolate pivotal elections and compare state-level and national trends over time. When and where did Alabama’s electorate break with the Democratic Party, and were these breaks uniform across the state? Which counties shifted the most over time, and was this shift gradual or characterized by change elections? Comprehensive electoral data make it possible to place state-level electoral behavior in its regional and national context. Detailed county level demographic and economic data is used to provide local context for electoral patterns, shifts, and continuities.

Regina L. Wagner is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alabama, USA. 

“The study of American politics suffers from a lack of focus on political change at the state level.  This book provides an excellent analysis of electoral change in arguably the most “southern” of southern states since 1945, and interplay of class and race in Alabama politics past and present.   As such it is a worthy addition to the literature on ongoing electoral alignments and realignments in the southern US.” (--Nicol Rae, Associate Dean, College of Applied Science and Technology Professor, University of Arizona, USA)
“Wagner relies primarily and creatively on county-level election and census data to provide readers with a comprehensive and compelling account of the post-World War II transformation of party politics in Alabama.  She ably juxtaposes the dramatic reversal of party fortunes with the persistence of cultural traditions and factionalism rooted in region and socio-economic class.  Her single-state focus incorporates and clarifies broader contemporaneous regional and national developments.  This is an invaluable addition to the scholarly literature on Southern politics and party realignment.” (--Harold F. Bass, Department of Political Science, Ouachita Baptist University, USA)

“Top-down interpretations of American politics are everywhere, interpretations in which state and local developments are mainly reflections--even merely examples--of a national story.  So a bottom-up approach is instantly noteworthy, and few if any states have changed as much as Alabama in this bottom-up interpretation of postwar Alabama politics.  Gubernatorial, senatorial, and presidential contests; local, regional, and national coalitions; crucial change-points and insistent continuity: all appear here in a clearly organized exposition that still picks up many of the major developments in postwar American politics, while making it clear that these were rarely simple replications at the state and local level--most certainly not in Alabama.  The great virtue of a grass-roots context is that it permits an underlying social complexity to show up in political analysis, by offering the real context within which politicians had to plan their campaigns and their careers.” (--Byron E. Shafer, Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, USA)

Offers new and comprehensive election data in the state of Alabama Analyzes long-term electoral shifts in the state as well as state and national level comparisons Presents geographic centers of continuity and change through county-level analysis in Alabama over time

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