Minority Party Misery

Book excerpt: Introduction -- A theory of minority party status -- I'm out of here! : minority party status and the decision to retire from Congress -- How does this make cents? : party fundraising and the congressional minority -- Minority party status and the decision to run for office -- To meddle or not to meddle? : minority party status, party leaders, and candidate recruitment -- Political ambition, electoral engagement, and the U.S. Senate -- Laboratories of ambition? : the legislative minority in U.S. states -- Conclusion -- Appendixes -- Appendix A: Notes on interview subjects and methods -- Appendix B: Discussion of data collection for campaign finance data in Chapter 3 -- Appendix C: Detailed discussion of methods for content analysis.