Governors Go National adds to the literature on the nationalization of US politics by exploring an understudied group of actors and institutions: governors and their partisan associations. Sparacino begins by providing much-needed background on the role of governors in US politics prior to the development of the Republican and Democratic Governors Associations. This enables him to analyze the creation of these organizations and the circumstances that drove governors to emphasize partisan differences. The book then traces the institutionalization of partisan associations, highlighting how governors sought influence within their respective parties, both on policy and electorally. Through careful documentation of primary and secondary sources, Sparacino demonstrates how Republican governors were able to coordinate earlier than their Democratic counterparts due to the complex and changing Democratic coalition. However, following years of electoral setbacks at the national level, Democratic governors responded by adopting many of the tactics Republicans pioneered, providing a robust counterweight. Ultimately, the analysis reveals how a changing political context pushed governors to nationalize, implicating them in furthering the nationalization of US politics through their coordinated efforts. Recommended. Undergraduates only.

Choice Reviews

“Partisanship and polarization have been the key drivers of modern American politics, touching all areas of public life. In this important study, Anthony Sparacino traces in detail the evolution of national governors’ organizations as they became significant actors in American national politics. The Republicans led the way in the 1970s and 1980s, but as with any ‘arms race,’ the Democrats reciprocated. While individual governors have long intervened in national campaigns, Sparacino demonstrates how these organizations emerged as potent new political forces on the national scene.”

Andrew Polsky, Hunter College, City University of New York

“This book provides a rigorous an innovative account of how governors, acting together through associations, have impacted the nationalization of American political parties. The origin, tactics, and influence the RGA and DGA at the national level can only be fully explained through a developmental analysis. In this well researched study, Anthony Sparacino teaches us a great deal about the interplay of presidential politics and gubernatorial political and policy interests, differences between the parties, and the evolution of federalism amidst the integration of national and state-level party organizations.”

Daniel Palazzolo, University of Richmond

“Seldom viewed as consequential, Sparacino refutes the common wisdom to show how governors’ national organizations shape and alter party competition. With careful attention to the incentives governors face to simultaneously nationalize political conflict and guard their state-level prerogatives, this is the definitive book on how governors have built the modern American party system and continue to shape it through today.”

Nicholas Jacobs, Colby College