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The Circus That Wasn't: The Republican Party's Quest for Order in California's 2003 Gubernatorial Recall Election

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Seth E. Masket
Seth E. Masket*
Affiliation:
University of Denver, CO, USA
*
Seth E. Masket, University of Denver, Department of Political Science, 469 Sturm Hall, 2000 E. Asbury Avenue, Denver, CO 80208 Email: smasket@du.edu
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Abstract

Contrary to media reports, California's 2003 recall election was anything but a circus. Despite the presence of 135 candidates, just 3 managed to split 94% of the vote, and the winner came close to achieving a majority. In this article, the author uses elite interviews and a social network analysis of campaign donations to study how the Republican Party sought to impose order on the potentially chaotic political environment. The author finds that a network of Republican donors, activists, and officeholders coordinated their efforts to advantage Arnold Schwarzenegger and pressure other Republicans out of the race.

Keywords

electionspartiesdirect democracyrecallCalifornia
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , June 2011 , pp. 123 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2011

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