Did Ralph Nader elect George W. Bush? : an analysis of minor parties in the 2000 presidential election
In this paper I examine the roles that Reform Party nominee Buchanan and especially Green Party Nominee Nader played in the 2000 presidential election. Using a variety of data from election returns to national surveys, I address two pressing questions. First, how did minor party voters reach their decisions given the great potential for sophisticated behavior in a close election? Second, what effects did minor parties have on voter turnout and who won the election? The paper comes in several parts. It begins by reexamining the election outcome in terms of social choice analysis. The second section analyzes Naders standing in the polls dynamically by examining the patterns and determinants of his support over the final months of the campaign. The third section turns to the effects that Buchanan and Nader had on voter participation and the major parties vote shares. The next section of the paper reexamines the possibility that Nader threw the election to Bush. I conclude by suggesting how this multifaceted picture of results fits with existing work on minor parties in America
Computer Program, English, 2001
[Electronic resource]
Weidenbaum Center / Washington University Weidenbaum Center / Washington University, St. Louis, Mo, St. Louis, Mo, 2001