The Unprecedented 2016 Presidential Election

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 1-9

3. Pitchforks and Torches

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 11-30

4. The 2016 Presidential Nominations

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 31-38

5. Donald J. Trump: The Making of a Media Event

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 39-58

6. The Party Decides?

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 59-80

7. The 2016 Presidential Election

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 81-92

8. Everybody Sucks 2016

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 93-103

9. A Tale of Two Campaigns

   • Rachel Bitecofer

   Pages 105-140

10. What (Really) Happened

    • Rachel Bitecofer

    Pages 141-186

11. Back Matter

    Pages 187-193

    PDF

This book explains the 2016 presidential election through a strategic focus. In the primaries both parties faced challenges from insurgent outsiders riding waves of populist fervor in the electorate, but only the Democrats were able to steer the nomination into the hands of their establishment favorite. Why weren’t Republican elites able to stop Donald Trump from hijacking their party’s nomination?  Why did Hillary Clinton come up short on Election Day despite the fact that nearly everyone expected her to win after her opponent ran a haphazard campaign plagued by scandal after scandal? The research presented here argues that the Clinton campaign conducted the nearly perfect execution of the wrong electoral strategy, costing her the Electoral College and her chance to become America’s first female president. 

• Electoral Politics
• Presidency
• Trump
• Presidential Campaigns
• Elections
• White House
• Clinton
• us politics

• Department of Government, Christopher Newport University , Newport News, USA

  Rachel Bitecofer

Rachel Bitecofer is Assistant Director of the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University, USA where she teaches classes on political behavior, campaigns, elections, and political analysis.  In her position with the Wason Center she conducts survey research on public policy issues and election campaigns. Her research has been featured in many media outlets including national outlets such as the Washington Post, Huffington Post, and NPR and she is a regular contributor on CBC Radio. 

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