Comments on the previous editions: "Hess brings not only first-rate credentials, but a cool, dispassionate perspective, an incisive analytical approach, and a willingness to stick his neck out in making judgments...."-- American Political Science Review "This book is a timely and useful launching device for classroom or civic discussions of this important political process."-- Perspective "In barely over a hundred pages of smooth and easy prose, Hess manages to cover a large number of campaign topics. Refusing to get bogged down in mechanics or trivia, he constantly reverts to the connection between the character of the electoral process and the caliber of the men who flourish in it."-- Polity