Ongoing Polarization of the House in 1 Chart
In a 7-1 vote last week, a committee in Tennessee's state Legislature passed a bill to eliminate party primaries, an idea that strikes National Journal's Charlie Cook as really, really bad.
But the vote also lends credence to Cook's assertion, using his Partisan Vote Index to map House elections over 14 years, that polarization is increasing. That's because legislatures are doing whatever they can to keep congressional districts in friendly hands.
Source: Cook’s Tour of American Politics and Economics.
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Despite the decreasing number of possible swing elections, various contests continue to be pursued with vigor, including Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff in "ruby-red" South Carolina, where Democrats spy opportunity amid shifting demographics and political misfortune.
