BYU vs Utah: Not Just a Sporting Rivalry
This analysis was performed by Jordan Rogers, a student research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, in collaboration with CSED faculty. The writing is mostly his....
View ArticleProfiles of Utah legislators
The 2012 legislative session is coming. Here’s a couple of things to help you get ready. First, I’ve taken data that I’ve written about in the past (such as ideology scores, legislator absenteeism,...
View ArticleWhy are Liljenquist’s former colleagues split on his candidacy?
Today, Dan Liljenquist announced that 13 of the 22 Republicans in the state senate have endorsed his challenge against Orrin Hatch. I thought I’d do a quick comparison of the 13 who endorsed him to the...
View ArticleDo statistics (like absentee rates) matter in reelection campaigns?
I calculate a lot of statistics about the Utah legislature. Lately, I’ve noticed various statistics being used in some of the nomination battles that are happening right now. Incumbent legislators are...
View ArticleWhat are the philosophical differences between the parties?
Differences between political parties reflect differences in how individuals view the world. These views can be traced back to philosophical questions that have concerned political theorists for...
View ArticleCage match: Janice Fisher and Fred Cox
The new legislative district maps adopted a few months back placed two Utah legislators into the same district: Republican Fred Cox and Democrat Janice Fisher. Now that both have secured their parties’...
View ArticleIs Jim Matheson a liberal or a moderate?
Jim Matheson presents himself to voters as a moderate willing to work with both parties. Critics from the right contend that he’s really a liberal at heart who will promptly ally with Pelosi and Obama...
View ArticleWhat kind of Republican is Mia Love?
Last week, I used Congressional voting data to assess whether Jim Matheson is a moderate or liberal Democrat. The unsurprising conclusion: He’s to the right of almost every other Democrat in the US...
View ArticleDo candidates’ issue positions influence voters?
This analysis was performed by Ethan Busby, a student research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy (“like” CSED on Facebook), in collaboration with CSED faculty. The writing...
View ArticleParty Identification, Party Registration, and “Unaffiliated” Voters
This analysis was performed by Zach Smith, a student research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy (like us on Facebook), in collaboration with CSED faculty. The writing is...
View ArticleNew ideology ratings for the Utah Legislature
Two years ago I released ideology scores for each Utah legislator who served between 2007 and 2011. Today I’m releasing an update that extends the scores through 2013. (Thanks to my research assistant,...
View ArticleWhat kind of Republican is Spencer Cox?
Governor Gary Herbert has nominated Spencer Cox to replace Greg Bell as Utah’s new Lieutenant Governor. Few outside the Legislature had heard Cox’s name before the governor’s announcement. Even within...
View ArticleUtah Voters Support Medicaid Expansion
This post was written by CSED Research Fellow and BYU Political Scientist Jay Goodliffe with assistance from CSED Undergraduate Research Fellow John Griffith. Inquiries about the analysis should be...
View ArticleWhat do Mike Lee and Elizabeth Warren have in common?
At first glance, it may seem as though Utah’s Tea Party Senator, Mike Lee, and Massachusetts’ liberal firebrand, Elizabeth Warren, may not have much in common. In terms of policy, they disagree on...
View ArticleWhat Rep. Watkins teaches us about party and ideology
Political scientists have made a parlor game of calculating ideology scores for elected officials based on their voting records. The gold standard for the US Congress is the DW-NOMINATE algorithm; you...
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