Brian Frederick, "American Presidential Candidate Spouses: The Public’s Perspective" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)

Summary

Laurel Elder, Brian Frederick, and Barbara Burrell are the authors of American Presidential Candidate Spouses: The Public’s Perspective (Palgrave MacMillan, 2018). Elder is professor of political science at Hartwick College; Frederick is associate professor and chair of political science at Bridgewater State University; Burrell is professor emeritus of political science at Northern Illinois University. Recognizing that presidential candidate spouses are important but understudied political actors, Elder, Frederick, and Burrell provide extensive analysis of public opinion data of spouses since 1992, including Bill Clinton and Melania Trump during the 2016 presidential election. The book considers important trends in U.S. elections including polarization from the vantage points of candidate spouses. It also explores the symbolic importance of historic firsts including the first African-American candidate spouse and the first male candidate spouse.

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