Antiwar split could hurt Democrats in 2008

NEWS RELEASE

SAGE PUBLICATIONS

************************* Democrats may be hurt by antiwar divisions in 2008

Cooperation between diverse antiwar groups helped the Democratic Party in the 2006 congressional elections.

However, the changing relationship between the Democratic Party and the antiwar activists could hurt the Democrats in the upcoming 2008 presidential election, according to research published in the current issue of American Politics Research from Sage Publications.

The study’s authors, Michael T. Heaney (University of Florida) and Fabio Rojas (Indiana University), found that the antiwar movement is divided in its support for the Democratic Party.

Roughly 40 percent of grassroots antiwar activists support the Democrats, 20 percent support a third party (such as the Green Party), 39 percent are independents and two percent support the Republicans.

The research revealed that the Democrats in the movement are more likely to work with organizations like MoveOn.org, the Progressive Democrats of America, and Code Pink: Women for Peace, while non-Democratic activists are more likely to work with organizations like United for Peace and Justice and International ANSWER (Act now to Stop War and End Racism).

When antiwar activists work closely with the Democratic Party, an informal political network of activists and organizations is created and those activists are more likely to engage in political activities that help the Democrats.

The elected officials respond by helping sympathetic activists in the antiwar movement, however, that balance is unstable and could hurt the Democrats as much or more than it helps them, especially since the activists are increasingly concerned by continued Democratic support of war funding.

"Leading antiwar groups are planning to hold large protests at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, much like they did at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York," Heaney reports. "The Democrats could find their party divided in 2008 much as it was in 1968, with many of its natural supporters camped outside the convention hall, definitely complicating the Democrats' electoral prospects."

The article, “Partisans, Nonpartisans, and the Antiwar Movement in the United States,” published by Sage in the July issue of American Politics Research, is available at no charge for a limited time by clicking here.

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For over 30 years, American Politics Research has served as an integral forum for the dissemination of the latest theory, research and analyses in American political science.

American Politics Research presents original works by distinguished authors from a wide range of fields concerned with American politics.

Articles examine and explore topics in every area of government, from local and state to regional and national.

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About Sage

Sage Publications is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets.

Since 1965, Sage has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine.

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************************* PHOTO CAPTION: Joe Biden, U.S. Senator from Delaware, signed his papers to run for president with the Federal Elections Commission on January 31, 2007.