The roads to Congress 2014 /

Another in the series of edited works on running for Congress, this volume explores seven races for the US Senate and ten for the House. Because of the common format used in each chapter, these 17 examinations of congressional elections allow readers to compare and contrast. In addition to chapters on individual contests, chapters are devoted to the 113th Congress, voter suppression laws, and the roles of super PACs and of independent expenditures. The extent of Republican victories is evident in the party's successes, as Senate Democratic candidates lost four seats. On the House side, Republicans won an open seat (holding an additional open seat in which the Republican incumbent had been defeated in the primary). Republican incumbents were victorious in three of three elections. Democrats held two of their three seats and lost one. Incumbent Democrats won one of their three seats. The concluding chapter looks at the legacy of the elections of 2014. An excellently written, even-handed summary of selected 2014 congressional elections. Summing Up: Optional. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. --William K. Hall, Bradley University