The Districts of Kentucky
Almost every US citizen over the age of 25 has the right to become a member of the House of Representatives. But, only two or three people usually run in an election. Why is that? In today's elections, the influence of the media and parties have caused many more factors than just the formal constrains to influence who runs for office. The "recruitment funnel" is a way of describing the process in which we select candidates to run for public office. This idea is one in which many different concepts are combined to form one solid idea. In this paper, I will show different facets of the funnel and the effects of each by examining a particular region of the United States.
The region that I will examine consists of the first, second, third, and fourth districts of Kentucky. These regions are diverse not only between them, but inside of the boundaries of each. For example, the 4th district "has some of the most Democratic counties in America, like Elliot County (65%-21% for Bill Clinton), and some of the most Republican territory in Kentucky, like Oldham County…(57%-34% for Bob Dole)." The districts vary in economic status as well, ranging from coal mining towns to rich suburbs. But each district has its own story and its own vastly different constituents.
The Kentucky first has traditionally been a democratic district. This is due mainly to little economic growth in the region and to the low wages of its residents. In fact the region has only had 1 republican since the creation of the district in 1912. However democratic they are, the district is still very conservative, and likes conservative democrats. The area of this district runs from the west most part of the state, bordering the Mississippi and the Ohio, and covers almost a third of the state. From 1974 till 1990, Dem. Carroll Hubbard held the seat and ran unopposed for 7 of those terms. In the '74 primary, Hubbard beat out well-established Rep. Stubblefield in the primary 51-49. Hubbard then went on to hold the office reasonably unchallenged until a scandal involving the House bank. After that term, Hubbard was defeated in the primary 45-48 by an unlikely Tom Barrlow. Since the redistricting of the 90's the district has become more Republican.
In the Lexington, Kentucky a drug operation occurred at an apartment complex. Police officers of Lexington, Kentucky followed a suspected drug dealer into an apartment complex. The officers smelled marijuana outside the door of one of the apartments, as they knocked loudly the officers announced their presence. There were noises coming from the inside of the apartment; the officers believed that the noises were as the sound of destroying evidence. The officers stated that they were about to enter the apartment and kicked the apartment door in in order to save the save any evidence from being destroyed. Once the officer enters the apartment; there the respondent and others were found. The officers took the respondent and the other individuals that were in the apartment into custody. The King and the
The second biggest change in politics was the way candidates campaigned. Document D shows a democratic party ballot in 1828, which demonstrates the way state candidates from the governor to the coroner associated themselves with Andrew Jackson, and incredibly popular candidate, in the hope of winning their ...
Harrison, Lowell H. and Klotter James C. A New History of Kentucky. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 1997.
In cases having to do with constitutionality, the issue of the separation of church and state arises with marked frequency. This battle, which has raged since the nation?s founding, touches the very heart of the United States public, and pits two of the country's most important influences of public opinion against one another. Although some material containing religious content has found its way into many of the nation's public schools, its inclusion stems from its contextual and historical importance, which is heavily supported by material evidence and documentation. It often results from a teacher?s own decision, rather than from a decision handed down from above by a higher power. The proposal of the Dover Area School District to include instruction of intelligent design in biology classes violates the United States Constitution by promoting an excessive religious presence in public schools.
The people of Texas are diverse and carry their “big can-do attitudes and accents” (Pearson); making Texas a bigger than life state. The political culture of Texas is impacted by two different subgroups of individualistic and traditionalistic characteristics. The combination of traditionalism and individualism has had a huge impact on the state and Texas’ seven different constitutions. The shift in power between 1827 and 1876 has impacted the political diversity Texas has today. Looking at the specifics of these subcultures, the traditionalists believe government should benefit the wealthy and powerful, and that government services must be limited.
Carter states in his book that, when there was a question concerning the reapportionment of the state Senate, he had made his decision to run as a candidate for the senate. He had made the decision that if there was a lack of new information regarding the reapportionment, he would place a notice in a newspaper announcing his campaign. Originally, his career had him working on a school board. However, he knew it would be many years before any significant changes could be made to the educational system and he had made the decis...
Until the 1980’s Texas was dominated by the Democratic Party, they abrupt change in was due to many factors such as the change in the Democratic Party’s view. According the reading the “The Democratic party dominated Texas politics until the 1960s 1970s in a large part because it was seen as the party
In the United States, for the last four decades, from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan through the two Bush Presidency, the Republican Party won the White House by amassing large margins among white voters (Lizza). The state of Texas has been reliably Republican since the 1970s and there are various elements to Texas political culture that can be narrowed down to three essential ideological trends: economic liberalism, or faith in the free market economy, social conservatism, or favoring traditional values and moralism, and populism, or promoting the rights and worthiness of ordinary people (Texas Political Culture). As a result, the dominant political mood in Texas favors low taxes, minimal government services, and policies that are pro-business. This phenomenon is not static, however, since changing demographics in the state are causing changes in the profile of Texas in reference to electoral politics, among other major issues. This paper will explore different perspectives on the changing demographics of Texas, and where they might lead the state politically, and will present a variety of viewpoints regarding this complex subject.
In the youth of Texas, the Democratic Party enjoyed electoral dominance on all levels of state government and in the representation in the national government. Democratic rule was dominated by a conservative white political elite that strongly promoted economic development, but that resisted change either in race relations or social programs for the poor ("Texas Politics," 2009). Republicans were not completely absent during this period, but their electoral victories were few and limited in scope ("Texas Politics," 2009). In every election after 1980, however, the Republican strength grew into the now dominant rule that currently reigns in Texas. Since the 1990’s, the Republican Party, despite the attempts of others, has had a stronghold on the state government. With that being said, the Republican Party has dominated the overall elections.
political districts - he invented it!” Daily News. New York Daily News. 14 March 2014.
The single-member district election system is the most common and best-known electoral system currently in use in America. It is used to elect the U.S. House Representatives, as well as many state and local legislatures. Under single member district systems, an area is divided into a number of geographically defined voting districts, each represented by a single elected official. Voters can only vote for their district’s representative, with the individual receiving the most votes winning election. This method of electing representatives is better than any alternative solution in various ways. Four compelling reasons to support the single-member district election system include the fact that single-member districts give each voter a single, easily identifiable district member; the way single-member district voting helps protect against overreaching party influence; that single-member districts ensure geographic representation; and finally, that single-member districts are the best way to maximize representatives’ accountability.
There is much debate in the United States regarding whether there is polarization between our two dominant political parties. Presidential election results have shown that there is a division between the states, a battle between the Democratic blue states and the Republican red states. What is striking is that the “colors” of these states do not change. Red stays red, and blue stays blue. Chapter 11 of Fault Lines gives differing views of polarization.
South University Online. (2013). POL2076: American Government: Week 4: People and Politics—Interest Groups. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com
In 1990, Governor Pete Wilson, a Republican, could not agree with a predominantly Democratic state legislature. The United States Supreme Court again had to step in and make independent plans. They created a system that moved two assembly districts into each senate district, otherwise known as a “nested” system.
Newell, Charldean. "Inflexibility, Traditionalism, and Partisanship: The Texas Response to New Federalism." Review. Annual Review of American Federalism 12 (1981 (1983): 185-95. Publius. Oxford University Press. Web. 23 Mar. 2011.