Midterms and Mandates

Abstract

Analyses how midterm elections have shaped the American presidency Provides an analysis of a fundamental yet little-studied aspect of the American political system Combines insights from history and from political science by featuring research grounded in both disciplines Showcases the work of emerging scholars as well as researchers of international renown who have written discipline-shaping work on the modern American presidency, including Julia Azari, Andrew Rudalevige and Iwan Morgan Reassesses US presidents in the decades since Franklin Roosevelt by analysing the effect that midterm elections had in shaping their time in office Offers institutional overviews as well as historical case studies that examine this feature of US electoral politics, thus engaging with issues of present-day politics as well as the past Midterm elections have forced presidents to adjust course and have heralded the rise or fall of new party coalitions, yet they remain understudied in comparison to their presidential counterparts. This book offers a fresh perspective on the American presidency by analysing the significance of midterm elections in the United States. Midterms not only provide an important opportunity for voters to evaluate the record of a president so far, but also have consequences for an administration’s pursuit of the president’s agenda over the two years that follow. As the essays in this collection show, midterms modify in crucial ways the mandate that a president gained at the time of their election to the White House. The volume integrates contributions from political scientists and historians to create a truly multidisciplinary understanding of the interplay between midterm elections and the American presidency.