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We are professors of political science. The goal is not to post partisan opinions, but rather to share our academic research. Learn more. Each post reflects only its author's views.
Buyer beware: Most of our posts discuss ongoing, unpublished research. We may revise our conclusions as we continue our research.
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Tag Archives: congress
How early did voters decide who to vote for?
In noncompetitive, low-profile races like the first and third districts, voters take a bit longer to decide than they do in competitive, highly publicized races like the fourth district. This analysis was performed by Robert Richards, a student research fellow … Continue reading
Could Jim Matheson have beaten Orrin Hatch?
Matheson does not have as much appeal statewide as in the fourth district This analysis was performed by Robert Richards, a student research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy (“like” CSED on Facebook), in collaboration … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged congress, jim matheson, orrin hatch, partisanship, student research, utah colleges exit poll
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Nationwide, single member districts hurt Democrats
No matter who controls the Utah Legislature, it will be hard for Democrats to win as many legislative seats in Utah as their popular vote might suggest. I wrote recently that single member districts hurt the minority party, whatever the … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged congress, legislature, redistricting, single member districts, urban
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What kind of Republican is Mia Love?
What kind of Republican is Mia Love? She’s not too far off from Chaffetz, Stewart, and Bishop. Last week, I used Congressional voting data to assess whether Jim Matheson is a moderate or liberal Democrat. The unsurprising conclusion: He’s to … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged chris stewart, congress, democrat, ideology, jason chaffetz, jim matheson, mia love, nominate, republican, rob bishop
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Is Jim Matheson a liberal or a moderate?
Matheson’s Congressional votes often go against partisan expectations. Jim Matheson presents himself to voters as a moderate willing to work with both parties. Critics from the right contend that he’s really a liberal at heart who will promptly ally with … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged congress, democrat, ideology, jason chaffetz, jim matheson, nominate, republic, rob bishop
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Redistricting is not expected to change the partisan balance of Congress
They conclude that Utah did not experience a partisan gerrymander of its US House seats. In a painstaking state-by-state analysis of all 435 U.S. House seats, some sharp political scientists predict that the 2011 redistricting round will have no net … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged congress, legislature, partisanship, redistricting, representation, republic
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The Utah legislature passes far more bills than Congress
We should expect fewer laws out of the Utah legislature than out of Congress, yet we see the opposite. As I prepped some lecture data for my Congress course today, I was surprised at something I hadn’t noticed before: Congress … Continue reading
The Utah Foundation’s Quality of Life Index
The following is a guest post sent in by Morgan Lyon Cotti, Senior Research Analyst at the Utah Foundation. It is often said that Utahns enjoy a high quality of life, and many people live here their entire lives. Those … Continue reading
Has Orrin Hatch been left behind by the Republican Party?
Since 2001, Hatch has been less conservative than the Senate GOP average. Sarah Binder, a political scientist and Congressional expert at George Washington University, took a look today at Sen. Orrin Hatch’s voting record. (Her post is on the Monkey … Continue reading
What are the conflicts between representation and redistricting?
Certain segments of Utah’s political class advocate for a rural-urban mix for the new congressional districts. The argument sounds something like the following: “It would be horrible for Utah to not have all Congressional seats invested in both the rural … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged congress, counties, james madison, legislature, redistricting, representation, rural, urban
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