This pioneering work offers a theoretical perspective on two new variables that shape presidential voting behavior in America. It does this through an exploration of the impact that native son presidential candidate Jimmy Carter had upon his home state electorate in Georgia. The work fully documents the electoral support that Carter received in his twelve elections in the state of Georgia and the support he garnered for his former vice president in the 1984 presidential election.



This is the first longitudinal study to examine the impact of native son candidates on voting behavior. It concludes that native son presidential candidates do affect voting behavior in their states and that this effect sometimes extends such behavior throughout their region. This study and its conclusions will be of interest to scholars and historians in political science and presidential studies.