Inter-Party Competition and Primary Contesting: The Case of Indiana

The significance of inter-party competition for variations in electoral behavior has recently been recognized in a number of political studies. The objects of this article are, first, to refine the concepts of safe and competitive electoral districts, and second, to replicate some propositions relat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American political science review 1958-12, Vol.52 (4), p.1066-1077
Main Authors: Standing, William H., Robinson, James A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitude formation
Attitudes
Contests
Electoral districts
Electoral sociology
Indiana
Jurisdiction
Political candidates
Political parties
Political sociology
Primaries
Primary elections
Prosecuting attorneys
State elections
Studies in American State Politics
Upper houses
Voting
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Summary:The significance of inter-party competition for variations in electoral behavior has recently been recognized in a number of political studies. The objects of this article are, first, to refine the concepts of safe and competitive electoral districts, and second, to replicate some propositions relating inter-party competition to the number of contestants in primary elections in Indiana. Most preceding studies of inter-party competition have examined behavior in large electoral jurisdictions, rarely one smaller than a congressional district and often an entire state. Generally they have examined behavior relating to a single office, usually the governor's or a congressman's, and have assigned every electoral-situation to either a “safe” or an “unsafe” category. They have varied in the tests applied to differentiate the latter. Most tests have determined safeness on the basis of one election; they have differed in the selection of that election and in the size of the majority thought to indicate safety.
ISSN:0003-0554
1537-5943
DOI:10.2307/1951986