New Politics of the Old South

Now in its eight edition, The New Politics of the Old South is the best and most comprehensive analysis and history of political behavior and shifting demographics in America’s southern states. Edited by leading scholars Charles S. Bullock III and Mark J. Rozell, this book has been updated through the 2024 elections to provide the most accurate and useful snapshot of the state of southern politics, and the ways in which they have developed over time. The southern electorate is a fascinating, dynamic body politic, and the study of its evolution is paramount to understanding the broader political developments occurring at a national level. While accessible to any interested reader, this edition illuminates the South’s essential and growing role in the study, and the story, of American politics. This new edition addresses the most recent round of statewide contests from the 2024 election—from gubernatorial, congressional, and state legislative races to the presidential race, especially significant in Georgia and North Carolina. A major theme in this eighth edition is the increasing population diversification, especially in the Growth States. Texas is now a plurality Hispanic state. Georgia may well be a majority-minority state today. The growing diversification in Georgia has recently become manifest within the General Assembly. In 2023 two new caucuses were created, one for Hispanics and the other for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The latter, with 11 members, is the largest of its kind in the nation. Even as Asians and Hispanics begin to enter southern legislatures, a few of them are Republicans. Republicans have also made some gains among Black voters and Black officeholders. These themes will also be explored in states as appropriate.