POLI 341 - Seminar in Congressional Politics

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This seminar is focused on U.S. congressional elections, with attention also devoted to interrelationships between voting for Congress and voting for president. The upcoming 2026 midterm elections are given special emphasis, particularly with regard to the question of whether the Democrats can regain control of the House, requiring just a 3 seat net gain. The Senate, however, is less likely to switch control. But recent events like Donald Trump’s declining job approval and successful recruitment of strong challengers to Republican incumbents have improved the outlook for the party. Among the themes to be studied in the context of 2026 and the recent past are the following: 1)whether Trump-induced middle-of-the-decade gerrymandering will give GOP an advantage in the midterms; 2) the increase in the numbers of congressional women and how the quality of their representation compares with that by men; 3) the growing reliance of candidates upon independent sources of campaign spending like Super PACs and dark money groups; 4) the consequences of political polarization for elections and the performance of Congress; and 5) how congressional representation of constituent interests bears upon reelection and vice versa. Richard Born.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: CLS