Editor's introduction -- Preface and acknowledgements -- Introduction: Pennsylvania presidential politics -- The Democrats emerge: the 1930s -- The Republicans revitalize: the 1940s -- The transitional decade: the 1950s -- The competitive state: the 1960s -- The split decision: the 1970s -- The new political order: the 1980s -- The Democrats take control: the 1990s -- Elections in the twenty-first century -- Conclusion -- Table: Pennsylvania presidential elections, 1932-2004 -- Notes -- Suggestions for further reading and bibliography.
Summary
Each presidential election year, it has become common to hear Pennsylvania described as a "battleground state." How and why did such competitive politics take shape? When did Pennsylvania become so pivotal in electing the president of the United States? In this volume, one of the state's leading political analysts answers these questions by taking readers behind the scenes of convention dramas and onto the campaign trail as national candidates and favorite sons vie for support. This authoritative, richly detailed history by G. Terry Madonna traces the evolution of presidential politics in Pennsylvania from FDR to the twenty-first century. [from the publisher]
