Candidates and Voters

Walter J. Stone is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis. He has received multiple research grants in support of his work from the National Science Foundation and from the Carnegie Corporation. Prior to joining the University of California, Davis faculty, he was Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and visiting Professor at Stanford University.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Candidates, voting choice and election outcomes; 3. Design and data: district informants and the study of congressional elections; 4. Polarization in congressional elections since 1952; 5. Ideological proximity, valence, and voter choice; 6. Correct voting on proximity and valence; 7. Anticipated reactions and challenger entry; 8. The proximity and valence rules in district voting; 9. District ideological representation; 10. Getting it right? Valence and ideology in district representation; Conclusion.

'Stone's original, elegant, parsimonious, and carefully integrated analysis of congressional elections and representation is a major contribution to our understanding of how American democracy actually works. It is the work of an astute and deeply informed scholar at the top of his game.' Gary Jacobson, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of California, San Diego