Macropartisan Stability in U.S. States.

Partisan stability has received a lot of attention in American politics. MacKuen et al. and Green et al. disagree over the strength of partisan ties nationally. Less work has been done on the state level to judge if the stability of partisanship differs across states. Using data from Enns and Koch (2013), methodology from Green et al. (2002), and a random effects model, this paper shows that partisan stability varies widely across states. Confirming what others have found, the South does more permanently respond to shocks over time to macropartisanship. In addition to the traditional explanation of economic performance and presidential approval, ideology is introduced as another important factor in explaining macropartisan change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]