Overview
- Offers the most comprehensive study published to date looking at public attitudes toward American presidential candidate spouses
- Examines aggregate and individual survey data to document trends on how presidential candidate spouses are viewed by the public over the past three decades
- Demonstrates that attitudes toward presidential candidate spouses can be understood in systematic terms rather than random fluctuations
- Offers the first theoretically based exploration of the public’s evaluations of the 2016 candidate spouses, Melania Trump and Bill Clinton
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About this book
The book offers a comprehensive analysis of public opinion toward presidential candidate spouses over the course of three decades, drawing on multiple theoretical frameworks including the concept of “new traditionalism” and a plethora of empirical data to explore why some spouses engender greater support than others—and what these reactions reveal about the American public and the gendered nature of the American presidency. Recognizing that presidential candidate spouses are important but understudied political actors, this book provides extensive analysis of public evaluations of Bill Clinton and Melania Trump during the 2016 presidential election as well as the presidential candidate spouses in the 1992 and 2012 elections and places public reaction to these individuals in historical context. The book considers important trends in U.S. elections including party polarization from the distinctive vantage points of candidate spouses and explores the symbolic importance of historic firsts including the first African American candidate spouse and the first male candidate spouse. No other work provides a systematic exploration of public opinion towards candidate spouses as distinct political entities across the modern political era.
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Keywords
Table of contents (6 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“This is an interesting, succinct and enjoyable read, relevant to scholars of the presidency as well as those with an interest in political and gender history more broadly.” (Sarah Thomson, Presidential History Network, January, 2020)
Authors and Affiliations
About the authors
Laurel Elder is Professor of Political Science at Hartwick College, USA. She is the co-author, with Steve Greene, of The Politics of Parenthood: Causes and Consequences of the Politicization and Polarization of the American Family (2012).
Brian Frederick is Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science at Bridgewater State University, USA. He is the author of Congressional Representation & Constituents: The Case for Increasing the U.S. House of Representatives (2009).
Barbara Burrell is Professor Emerita of Political Science at Northern Illinois University, USA. She is the author of Public Opinion, the First Ladyship and Hillary Rodham Clinton (2001).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: American Presidential Candidate Spouses
Book Subtitle: The Public’s Perspective
Authors: Laurel Elder, Brian Frederick, Barbara Burrell
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73879-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-73878-9Published: 12 April 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-73879-6Published: 20 March 2018
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 158
Number of Illustrations: 16 b/w illustrations
Topics: Popular Science in Political Science and International Relations, US Politics, Politics and Gender, Political Leadership