Presidentialcampaignsinrecentyearshaveshiftedtheirstrategytofocusincreasinglyonbasepartisans,ashiftthathashadsignificantconsequencesfordemocracyinAmerica.Overthepastfewdecades,politicalcampaignstrategyinUSelectionshasexperiencedafundamentalshift.CampaignsconductedbybothRepublicansandDemocratshavegraduallyrefocusedtheirattentionincreasinglytowardtheirrespectivepartisanbases.InBasesLoaded,CostasPanagopoulosdocumentsthisshifttowardbasemobilizationandawayfromvoterpersuasioninpresidentialelectionsbetween1956and2016.Hisanalysesshowthatthisphenomenonislinkedtoseveraldevelopments,includingadvancesincampaigntechnologyandvotertargetingcapabilitiesaswellasinsightsfrombehavioralsocialsciencefocusingonvotermobilization.Demonstratingthebroaderimplicationsoftheshifttowardbasemobilization,helinksthephenomenontogrowingturnoutratesamongstrongpartisansandrisingpartisanpolarization.Anovel,data-richaccountofhowpresidentialcampaignshaveevolvedinthepastquartercentury,BasesLoadedarguesthatwhatcampaignsdomatters--notonlyforelectionoutcomes,butalsoforpoliticalprocessesintheUSandforAmericandemocracy.
