Calling Elections

Written by a former congressional aide to US presidential candidate Bob Dole, this book examines the ways in which newspapers - and later television networks - have reported election results, from the early 1800s to the end of the 20th century.

"This is an entertaining slice of American political history. Littlewood, a former congressional aide to Bob Dole, examines the ways in which newspapers—and later, television networks—have reported election results from the early 1800s to the present. While showing how elections came to be seen as a spectator sport, he treats significant methods with loving detail, such as the first use (in the 1880s) of 'key precincts,' the growing acceptance of public opinion polls, and the rise of exit polls and 'voter profile analysis' in the 1960s and 1970s." — Library Journal

"As a companion of Tom Littlewood's along many a campaign trail, I can vouch for what a great reporter he is: hard-working, perceptive, and always digging for the facts. He has brought all of these qualities into this insightful study of what presidential campaigns and elections are all about." — The Christian Science Monitor

"Journalist-scholar Thomas Littlewood's Calling Elections is a treasure-trove of insightful nuggets from the past and useful remedies for the future." —Stephen Hess, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institute

"Tom Littlewood is a skilled journalist who uses his skills admirably in a fascinating, thoughtful, and challenging book." —Paul Simon, Director of the Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

"Thomas Littlewood provides an excellent and informative survey of how journalism came to report on the presidential selection and election process as if it were a day at the race track, complete with such metaphors as 'dark horse candidate' and 'neck and neck at the finish line' . . . Calling Elections is 'must' reading for journalism students, political science students, and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the politics of news reporting and the news reporting of politics." — Wisconsin Bookwatch

Thomas B. Littlewood is Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the author of The Politics of Population Control (Notre Dame Press). He has worked as a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times and on the congressional staff of Robert Dole.