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Assessing the Electoral Connection: Evidence from the Early United States

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  • Jamie L. Carson
  • Erik J. Engstrom

Abstract

Students of legislative behavior are divided over the extent to which an electoral connection existed in the early United States. In this article, we offer a test of the electoral connection in early American politics by investigating the electoral aftershocks of the disputed presidential election of 1824. Using newly available county‐level presidential voting data, along with the unique circumstances associated with the presidential contest, we examine the connection between representative behavior, district public opinion, and electoral outcomes. We find that representatives who voted for John Quincy Adams in the House contest, yet were from districts supporting Andrew Jackson, were targeted for ouster and suffered a substantial vote‐loss in the subsequent midterm election. We also find that the entry of a quality challenger had a sizeable impact on the fortunes of incumbent legislators. These results serve to confirm that representatives could be held accountable for their behavior in office during the antebellum era.

Suggested Citation

  • Jamie L. Carson & Erik J. Engstrom, 2005. "Assessing the Electoral Connection: Evidence from the Early United States," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(4), pages 746-757, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:49:y:2005:i:4:p:746-757
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00152.x
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    Cited by:

    1. René Lindstädt & Ryan Wielen, 2011. "Timely shirking: time-dependent monitoring and its effects on legislative behavior in the U.S. Senate," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 119-148, July.
    2. Sean Gailmard & Jeffery A. Jenkins, 2018. "Distributive politics and congressional voting: public lands reform in the Jacksonian era," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 259-275, June.
    3. David A. Bateman & Dawn Langan Teele, 2020. "A developmental approach to historical causal inference," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 185(3), pages 253-279, December.
    4. Robbert Maseland & Rok Spruk, 2023. "The benefits of US statehood: an analysis of the growth effects of joining the USA," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 17(1), pages 49-89, January.
    5. Charles J Finocchiaro & Jeffery A Jenkins, 2016. "Distributive politics, the electoral connection, and the antebellum US Congress: The case of military service pensions," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 28(2), pages 192-224, April.
    6. Jeffery A. Jenkins & Charles Stewart, 2020. "Causal inference and American political development: the case of the gag rule," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 185(3), pages 429-457, December.
    7. Fergusson, Leopoldo & Mejía, Javier & Robinson, James A. & Torres, Santiago, 2023. "Constitutions and Order: A theory and comparative evidence from Colombia and the United States," Documentos CEDE 20815, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.

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