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Despite large population gains, political observers commonly refer to Latinos as a "sleeping giant" because of low voter turnout. Conversely, steady declines in union membership have led some to label organized labor a "dinosaur." Several unions have made special outreach efforts to Latinos to rebuild their ranks and improve Latino political participation. Incorporating insights from the Civic Voluntarism Model, we find union affiliation increases Latino voter registration and turnout, and disproportionately so in comparison with non-Latinos and in recent elections. We conclude that continued declines in union membership have significant implications for Latino political power and inequalities in political voice.

During the 2000 election, 30 "red" states cast their Electoral College votes for Republican George W. Bush. Many of these red states are also the largest net recipients of federal benefits. Is this a product of the fact that many red states are simply poorer than blue states, or the result of political machinations? We find that even after controlling for Republican congressional power and key socio-economic and demographic factors, red states received more federal benefits per tax dollar in 2004. In a twist of irony, we conclude that "big government" entitlement and discretionary programs have actually become important club goods for Republicans to reward support in core states. As a result, red states have increased the amount of goods they received per tax dollar under Bush.

During the 2000 election, 30 "red" states cast their Electoral College votes for Republican George W. Bush. Many of these red states are also the largest net recipients of federal benefits. Is this a product of the fact that many red states are simply poorer than blue states, or the result of political machinations? We find that even after controlling for Republican congressional power & key socio-economic & demographic factors, red states received more federal benefits per tax dollar in 2004. In a twist of irony, we conclude that "big government" entitlement & discretionary programs have actually become important club goods for Republicans to reward support in core states. As a result, red states have increased the amount of goods they received per tax dollar under Bush. Adapted from the source document.

Several studies have challenged the conclusions of Fiorina et al., that there is no "culture war" that divides America. A recent book by Thomas Frank, however, argues that cultural divisions not only exist, but are critical to understanding Republican success. This study contributes to this literature by examining how individual positions on cultural issues affect support for George W. Bush in rural America. Using both county-level data and individual-level data, our results demonstrate that there are significant differences between rural and urban residents, and that George W. Bush's success in rural communities during the 2004 election was at least partly a function of his socially conservative position on the issue of gay marriage.