Which party does polarization helps?

[illegaloperation]

Which party does polarization helps most?

In the presidential elections, polarization helps the Democrats. Obama could have easily won the EV while loosing the popular vote.

In the Senate, polarization favors Republican In a neutral election with generic candidates, 23 states lean Democratic, 26 lean Republican, and 1 is even.

In the House, polarization strongly favors Republican, because Democrats are concentrated in few urban districts.

[Never]

I genearlly agree with your commentary all around, though I still have some input.

You mentioned that Obama could have won the electoral college without the popular vote, but I have my suspicion that the PV favors Democrats due to their strength in urban areas which have more voters. FairVote, a supporter of the National Popular Vote as a full replacement for the electoral college, admits that Democrats are modestly favored in MSAs. OP, I don't have a strong opinion on this, but I would appreciate a little more explanation of how Obama wins the electoral vote and loses the popular vote.

[TJ in Oregon]

Polarization helps almost everyone currently in power. It acts as a bipartisan gerrymander to give everyone involved an easier re-election without having to earn it.

[Smash255]

I genearlly agree with your commentary all around, though I still have some input.

You mentioned that Obama could have won the electoral college without the popular vote, but I have my suspicion that the PV favors Democrats due to their strength in urban areas which have more voters. FairVote, a supporter of the National Popular Vote as a full replacement for the electoral college, admits that Democrats are modestly favored in MSAs. OP, I don't have a strong opinion on this, but I would appreciate a little more explanation of how Obama wins the electoral vote and loses the popular vote.

While it would never be a uniorm swing, if for example Romney won the PV by somewhere around Gore's 2000 PV margin,(which was .51%) or even if he won by 1 point, Romney likely wins OH, FL & VA of the Obama states, but falls short elsewhere.  That would have still put Obama at 272.  The state that technically put Obama over 270 was Colorado, which he won by 1.5% more than he won nationally.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Yea there is a lot of slight Democrat leaning states that benefit them in a 50/50 or even 1-2 point loss. For example in 2008, Obama won nationally by 7.3 % while he won his 270th electoral vote in Colorado by 9 points, meaning that McCain would have to win by more than 1.7 % to win the electoral college. It was similar in 2012 as well as Obama would again win in a 50/50 popular vote scenario or even losing by 1 % nationwide.

[Non Swing Voter]

In the long run this will favor democrats because polarization is largely based on a generational divide and diversity divides.  In 10 years the GOP won't be able to sustain itself based on the voter pool they have currently turned off.  There is also only so long they can maintain the house through gerrymandering and voting restrictions. 

[Del Tachi]

Racial polarization definitely favors the GOP, as there simply aren't any states where racial minorities compromise the majority of the electorate. 

[eric82oslo]

Racial polarization definitely favors the GOP, as there simply aren't any states where racial minorities compromise the majority of the electorate. 

What about Hawaii? Whites make up only 23% of Hawaiians and not that much more among their electorate either.

[Del Tachi]

Racial polarization definitely favors the GOP, as there simply aren't any states where racial minorities compromise the majority of the electorate. 

What about Hawaii? Whites make up only 23% of Hawaiians and not that much more among their electorate either.

I don't think Hawaii can be categorized as racially polarized, as Whites and racial minorities vote Democrat at similarly high levels. 

[Sol]

Racial polarization definitely favors the GOP, as there simply aren't any states where racial minorities compromise the majority of the electorate. 

What about Hawaii? Whites make up only 23% of Hawaiians and not that much more among their electorate either.

I don't think Hawaii can be categorized as racially polarized, as Whites and racial minorities vote Democrat at similarly high levels. 

There is a fair amount of racial polarization within the Democratic party, however.

[Mr. Morden]

This seems like an incoherent question.  If you're talking about structural advantages within the electoral college or either house of Congress, those can exist even if the electorate isn't "polarized".  They have more to do with the geographical distribution of each party's supporters, and don't depend on polarization.

I suppose you could say that polarization helps whichever candidate or party is ahead in the polls at any given time.  Whoever's in the lead hopes that the electorate's mind is made up, and they're not going to switch.  Of course, when the other party is leading, they hope the same thing.

[Free Bird]

Democrats. It's their specialty.