University of Denver
Department of Political Science
Seth Masket
Seth Masket is a professor of political science at the University of Denver. He researches and teaches about political parties, state legislatures, and campaigns and elections. Masket regularly contributes to Politico and to The Smotus Report Substack newsletter.
Contact
2000 E. Asbury Ave.
Denver, CO 80208
(303) 900-8621
seth.masket@du.edu
Follow The Smotus Report, Masket’s newsletter about U.S. politics.
THE ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM
HOW TRUMP VOTERS SEIZED THE PARTY FROM REPUBLICAN LEADERS
A look at how the Republican Party changed over past decades to make the 2024 nomination of Donald Trump possible, and at the local party leaders who tried to prevent that nomination from happening but saw no way to achieve that.
Other Books
Political Parties
A modern book for a modern parties course (2021)
Seth Masket and Hans Noel bring a contemporary perspective and engaging writing to the political parties course. Using key material from contemporary and foundational research, Masket and Noel focus on how parties solve important problems in the American political system. This perspective reveals the importance of political parties, their inner workings, and their failures and successes.
Learning From Loss
The Democrats,
2016-2020
The Democrats’ decision to nominate Joe Biden for 2020 was hardly a fluke but rather a strategic choice by a party that had elevated electability above all other concerns. This book traces the persistence of party factions and shows how interpretations of 2016 shaped strategic choices for 2020. Although diverse narratives emerged to explain defeat in 2016 – ranging from a focus on ‘identity politics’ to concerns about Clinton as a flawed candidate – these narratives collectively cleared the path for Biden.
The Inevitable Party
Why Attempts to Kill the Party System Fail and how They Weaken Democracy (2016)
This book examines five state-level anti-party reforms and looks at why they failed. These reforms range from from open primaries to campaign finance restrictions to nonpartisan legislatures, and the research utilizes legislative roll call votes, campaign donations patterns, and extensive interviews with local political elites.
No Middle Ground
How Informal Party Organizations Control Nominations and Polarize Legislatures (2009)
In recent years political parties have gained strength in state governments as well as in Washington. In many cases these parties function as machines. Unlike machines of the past that manipulated votes, however, today’s machines determine which candidates can credibly compete in a primary. Focusing on the history and politics of California, this book reveals how these machines evolved and how they stay in power by directing money, endorsements, and expertise to favored candidates, who often tend toward the ideological extreme.
Contact Author
2000 E. Asbury Ave.
Denver, CO 80208
(303) 900-8621
seth.masket@du.edu