"After 120 consectutive years of minority status, the rapid ascendancy of southern House Republicans in the 1990s reshaped the contours of contemporary American politics: increasing party polarization, making a Republican House majority possible, and later contributing to the revival of Democratic fortunes in national elections. Relying on existing and original data sources, this book presents the most recent example of large-scale partisan change. Beyond serving as a primer for the study of political parties, campaigns and elections, and southern politics, [book title] provides an original theoretical argument and an expansive view of why political change in the South has such strong implications for national politics."--Back cover.