Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections : Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns

Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections: Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns examines barrier-breaking figures across various types of elective offices and constituent groups. The moment in which historic firsts enter the electoral arena, and the unique campaigns that ensue, are shown to be symbolically empowering. These change agents on the campaign trail become lighting rods for more liberal policies, and their candidacies are tied to questions of representation, electability, and performance. The distinctive combinations of race, ethnicity, and gender identities represented here translate into voter excitement to go to the polls and participate in other ways. Original chapters by respected scholars and practitioners consider how recent breakthrough elections are similar to yet different from past elections for gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral offices. The shadow of Donald Trump’s wildly unconventional U.S. presidency looms over this groundbreaking analysis, linking local to national level politics. For students of politics across the curriculum, this book expands the theoretical capacity of intersectionality research and links it to voter mobilization and electoral success. Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections:Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns examines barrier-breaking figures across various types of elective offices and constituent groups. The moment in which historic firsts enter the electoral arena, and the unique campaigns that ensue, are shown to be symbolically empowering. These change agents on the campaign trail become lighting rods for more liberal policies, and their candidacies are tied to questions of representation, electability, and performance. The distinctive combinations of race, ethnicity, and gender identities represented here translate into voter excitement to go to the polls and participate in other ways. Original chapters by respected scholars and practitioners consider how recent breakthrough elections are similar to yet different from past elections for gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral offices. The shadow of Donald Trump’s wildly unconventional U.S. presidency looms over this groundbreaking analysis, linking local to national level politics. For students of politics across the curriculum, this book expands the theoretical capacity of intersectionality research and links it to voter mobilization and electoral success Cover 1 Endorsement 2 Half Title 4 Series Information 5 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Table of Contents 10 Figures and Tables 12 Contributors 14 Acknowledgments 16 1 Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections: An Introduction 20 Introduction 20 Significance of the Study 23 The “Trump Era” 23 An Overview of the Historic First Candidates: Winners Versus Losers 27 Conclusion 33 References 34 2 Andrew Gillum’s Quest to Become Florida’s First Black Governor 36 The Symbolic Empowerment Framework, Data, and Methods 37 Black Political Clout in Florida 38 Andrew Gillum’s Deracialized Campaign Strategy 40 The Impact of a Potential Historic Gubernatorial First On Black Voter Participation 42 Conclusion 47 References 48 3 Ilhan Omar: Breaking Barriers for Muslim, Somali American, and Immigrant Women 52 From African Refugee to the First Somali American State Legislator 53 Symbolic Empowerment and a Winning Congressional Coalition 55 Contextualizing Representative Omar’s Congressional Victory and Leadership 62 Congresswoman Omar in Trump’s America 63 U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar and Symbolic Empowerment 65 Conclusion 67 Notes 68 References 68 4 Ayanna Pressley: Change Can’t Wait 71 Destined to Be a Leader 73 History and Political Landscape of Boston, Massachusetts 75 Pressley’s Opposition: Congressman Michael Capuano 78 Pressley Versus Capuano 79 A Breakdown of Results 86 Conclusion 86 Note 88 References 88 5 Rashida Tlaib: A Symbol and Champion for Detroit 91 The Historic Campaign to Replace a Civil Rights Icon 92 Winning and Losing in Michigan House Race of 2018 95 Victory and Symbolic Empowerment 98 Arab Americans, Muslims, Group Consciousness, and Political Representation 99 From Symbols to the Substantive Representation of Arab Americans and Muslims 102 Civil Rights for Blacks and Latinos 105 Women’s Issues 106 Environmental Justice and Fighting Corporate Greed 107 Conclusion 109 References 110 6 Mayor London Breed and the Limits of Governing While Black and Female in San Francisco 113 An Unexpected Ascension to Leadership 114 To Be Black in the Bay: San Francisco’s Troubled Racial History 116 The Woman Behind the Black Girl Magic: Symbolic Empowerment in SF 118 Deracializing a Symbolic Moment—Strategies for Garnering the Win 122 Avoidance of Public Appeals to the Black Community 122 Avoidance of Racially Divisive Issues 123 Promotion of Nonthreatening Images 124 Deracialization in the Context of Competition 125 Celebration Despite Skepticism 127 Politics and Protests: Breed’s Governing Style 128 Conclusion 129 Note 130 References 130 7 Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections: A Conclusion 134 Reference 138 Index 139 Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections:Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns examines barrier-breaking figures across various types of elective offices and constituent groups. The moment in which historic firsts enter the electoral arena, and the unique campaigns that ensue, are shown to be symbolically empowering. These change agents on the campaign trail become lighting rods for more liberal policies, and their candidacies are tied to questions of representation, electability, and performance. The distinctive combinations of race, ethnicity, and gender identities represented here translate into voter excitement to go to the polls and participate in other ways. Original chapters by respected scholars and practitioners consider how recent breakthrough elections are similar to yet different from past elections for gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral offices. The shadow of Donald Trumpâ••s wildly unconventional U.S. presidency looms over this groundbreaking analysis, linking local to national level politics. For students of politics across the curriculum, this book expands the theoretical capacity of intersectionality research and links it to voter mobilization and electoral success __Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections:____Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns__ examines barrier-breaking figures across various types of elective offices and constituent groups. The moment in which historic firsts enter the electoral arena, and the unique campaigns that ensue, are shown to be symbolically empowering. These change agents on the campaign trail become lighting rods for more liberal policies, and their candidacies are tied to questions of representation, electability, and performance. The distinctive combinations of race, ethnicity, and gender identities represented here translate into voter excitement to go to the polls and participate in other ways. Original chapters by respected scholars and practitioners consider how recent breakthrough elections are similar to yet different from past elections for gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral offices. The shadow of Donald Trump’s wildly unconventional U.S. presidency looms over this groundbreaking analysis, linking local to national level politics. For students of politics across the curriculum, this book expands the theoretical capacity of intersectionality research and links it to voter mobilization and electoral success.