Anatomy of a Purple State: A North Carolina Politics Primer

by Christopher A. Cooper

Overview

North Carolina represents a perfect distillation of the promise and peril of modern American democracy: hyperpartisanship, gerrymandering, dissatisfaction with the two-party system, the urban-rural divide—these issues are all brought into sharp relief in the Tar Heel State. For that reason, North Carolina politics and government are increasingly of interest not just to North Carolina citizens but to journalists, political observers, and people across the country. Political scientist Christopher A. Cooper, to whom the national media go when they need a quote about North Carolina politics, offers a primer made for all people, no matter their political leanings.

Readers will be introduced to everything that has made North Carolina the most purple of purple states—from the state constitution and the influence of think tanks to the growing racial diversity of the state and the limitations on the governor’s power. By explaining how we came to be in the political situation we are in, Cooper shows us where we might go next. And, as many have said, “As North Carolina goes, so goes the nation.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781469681726
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	10/09/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Christopher A. Cooper is the Madison Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs and director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy at Western Carolina University. In addition to cowriting two books, he has written for numerous publications, including The Assembly, the Washington Post, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Charlotte Observer, and the News and Observer.
Christopher A. Cooper is the Madison Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs and director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy at Western Carolina University. In addition to two books, he has written for numerous publications, including The Assembly, the Washington Post, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Charlotte Observer, and the News and Observer.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Cooper deftly explains how North Carolina grew from a one-party state of the Old South into the purple state we have today. As a primer on North Carolina state politics, this is as good as it gets.”—Jim Morrill, former political reporter for the Charlotte Observer

“Chris Cooper has written an articulate, thoughtful book that describes and elucidates modern North Carolina politics, the politics of 'purple' states more broadly, and, in some respects, US politics as a whole.”—Irwin Morris, North Carolina State University

Editorial Reviews

“Analysis of the curious politics of North Carolina, a definitively purple state . . . . A useful handbook for students of political trends throughout the U.S. in a turbulent election year.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[Cooper’s] book achieves the promise of its title; it is a brisk read, yet a well-researched rundown of how North Carolina found its way into its purple status . . . . Along the way, Cooper introduces us to some true characters and shenanigans from the Old North State’s political history, as he details three trends roiling the state’s politics today — nationalization, competition and polarization.”—The Fayetteville Observer

“Chris Cooper rarely struggles to answer an interview question. From the state’s first constitution to last week’s voter registration numbers, North Carolina’s resident political pundit is always prepared to discuss anything. But he felt like his answers to one question—what book would he recommend for a rundown on North Carolina politics?—were a bit outdated. So he wrote that book.”—INDY Week

“Read Anatomy of a Purple State and you will know more about North Carolina politics than your neighbors.”—D.G. Martin, Chapelboro

“Based on years of conversations, research, writing and reflection, as well as Cooper’s passion for helping more people understand NC politics and the role they can play in shaping it.”—NC Local News Workshop

“Cooper deftly explains how North Carolina grew from a one-party state of the Old South into the purple state we have today. As a primer on North Carolina state politics, this is as good as it gets.”—Jim Morrill, former political reporter for the Charlotte Observer

“Chris Cooper has written an articulate, thoughtful book that describes and elucidates modern North Carolina politics, the politics of 'purple' states more broadly, and, in some respects, US politics as a whole.”—Irwin Morris, North Carolina State University

From the Publisher

2024-09-28
Analysis of the curious politics of North Carolina, a definitively purple state.

Cooper, a political scientist, writes that the Old North State is purple, a swing state, constantly competitive, or “whatever other middle-of-the-road moniker you want to throw at it.” That’s as a collectivity, by which measure “North Carolinians are among the most moderate in the country.” There are outliers, of course: go to Charlotte or Chapel Hill, he writes, and you’ll find a politics reminiscent of the San Francisco Bay Area, whereas if you head into the countryside you’re in pretty solidly red country. These forces are balanced out enough that, apart from the attorney general’s post, which seems unshakably Democratic, political seats in the state constantly shift between parties: the current governor is Democratic, whereas the legislature is Republican. Therein lies a rub, Cooper notes, for the governor has little actual power, the legislature almost untrammeled weight, and one of the latter’s current projects has been to gerrymander the state for a permanent Republican majority and to limit the governor’s power even further. Evenhandedly, Cooper observes simply that “just as certain is the fact that the party in power will gerrymander to hold onto its power is the fact that the minority party will advocate for reform,” and so has it been of late. While Cooper suggests that much of the electorate is generally fair-minded, he does note that there are some oddities in the system, including the continued presence of a literary test in order to qualify to vote—a definitive holdover from the days of slavery. Foreseeing a future in which present trends of nationalization, competition, and polarization become ever more pronounced, he proposes reforms (increasing the governor’s line-item veto power) and rejects others (term limits).

A useful handbook for students of political trends throughout the U.S. in a turbulent election year.

Kirkus Reviews