American Presidential Candidate Spouses

Laurel Elder is Professor of Political Science at Hartwick College, USA. She is the co-author, with Steve Greene, of The Politics of Parenthood: Causes and Consequences of the Politicization and Polarization of the American Family (2012).

Brian Frederick is Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science at Bridgewater State University, USA. He is the author of Congressional Representation & Constituents: The Case for Increasing the U.S. House of Representatives (2009).

Barbara Burrell is Professor Emerita of Political Science at Northern Illinois University, USA. She is the author of Public Opinion, the First Ladyship and Hillary Rodham Clinton (2001).

The book offers a comprehensive analysis of public opinion toward presidential candidate spouses over the course of three decades, drawing on multiple theoretical frameworks including the concept of "new traditionalism" and a plethora of empirical data to explore why some spouses engender greater support than others-and what these reactions reveal about the American public and the gendered nature of the American presidency. Recognizing that presidential candidate spouses are important but understudied political actors, this book provides extensive analysis of public evaluations of Bill Clinton and Melania Trump during the 2016 presidential election as well as the presidential candidate spouses in the 1992 and 2012 elections and places public reaction to these individuals in historical context. The book considers important trends in U.S. elections including party polarization from the distinctive vantage points of candidate spouses and explores the symbolic importance of historic firsts including the first African American candidate spouse and the first male candidate spouse. No other work provides a systematic exploration of public opinion towards candidate spouses as distinct political entities across the modern political era.

Offers the most comprehensive study published to date looking at public attitudes toward American presidential candidate spouses

Chapter 1- An Introduction to American Presidential Candidate Spouses Chapter 2: Understanding Public Opinion towards Presidential Candidate Spouses
Chapter 3: Hillary Clinton v. Barbara Bush: Tradition Meets Change in the 1992 Presidential Campaign
Chapter 4: Historic Firsts: Public Opinion toward Michelle Obama and Ann Romney in the 2012 Presidential Election
Chapter 5: Breaking with the Past: Public Opinion towards Melania Trump and Bill Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election
Chapter 6: The Future of Public Opinion and Presidential Candidate Spouses