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"The democratization of Southern politics, coupled with economic issues rather than racial issues, best explains Republican ascendancy in the South over the past half century of gradual partisan change. So concludes David Lublin in his valuable study challenging the conventional presumption that GOP gains in the South are premised primarily on the politics of race. . . . The book is clearly written, well organized, and well documented."—Political Science Quarterly

"This is an important, knowledge-enhancing, subject-enriching work on a topic of major significance in understanding American politics: recent decades of Republican growth in the South. It adds to our understanding of realignment and political change more broadly by its detailed consideration of the state of the parties. Issues, elites, and institutions—an appropriately broad but rare range of topics—figure prominently in the discussion. While many contend racial attitudes realigned southern whites from the Democrats to the Republicans, David Lublin emphasizes economic and social issues while recognizing the place of racial issues."—Harold W. Stanley, Geurin-Pettus Distinguished Chair in American Politics and Political Economy, Southern Methodist University, author of Voter Mobilization and the Politics of Race

"This book offers a broad examination of factors relating to the development of the Republican party in the South, includes new and valuable data sets, and reflects what is now expected of David Lublin-his distinctive mixture of good social science, normative consideration, and commonsensical understanding of politics."—John H. Aldrich, author of Why Parties? The Origins and Transformation of Political Parties in America