Political Party Trends in 1985: The continuing But Constrained Advance of the National Party

In 1985 the national party organizations continued to expandtheir spheres of activity into state and local politics. Bothparties made preparations for extensive involvement in the 1986state legislative elections. The Republican National Committeeinitiated programs to aid county party organizations, to induceDemocratic state legislators to join the GOP, and to encourageDemocratic voters to switch their party registration. The nationalDemocratic party continued to assert authority over state partiesas it engaged in the quadrennial practice of rules reform. Incontrast to the past, the 1985 reform process resulted in nosignificant rules changes and in little intra-party skirmishing.Both parties, however, were forced to recognize the limits ofnational party influence in state and local politics.     

Comparison of transmission and internal reflection infrared spectra of cocaine.

Comparing the infrared transmission spectrum of cocaine HCl to its attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectrum has raised questions about the use of ATR spectra for forensic drug analysis. Whenever infrared spectra are collected using different modes or sample preparation methods, small variations in peak intensity ratios or peak positions are possible. These variations in infrared spectra are small and do not interfere with qualitative analysis, but they can cause confusion when unrecognized as normal effects of the different spectroscopic techniques. Comparison of the absorption and ATR spectra of cocaine hydrochloride illustrates the type of differences that can be expected. These differences are explained by the fundamental differences in the collection techniques. For the best quantitative results, only spectra collected by the same technique should be compared.     

The 1986 Midterm Elections for Governor and State Legislatures: A Modest Departure From Past Patterns

The 1986 midterm election results departed from the normal patternin which the president's party loses governorships and controlof a significant number of state legislative chambers. For thefirst time since World War II, the presidential party scoreda net gain in governors. At the same time, it sustained onlyminor losses in the legislatures. The election was unusual inthe degree to which national forces, which normally work tothe disadvantage of the president's party, were neutralized.The exposure/base year variable and the large number of open-seatcontests worked to produce a high level of partisan change amongthe governorships. The absence of a strong national trend, coupledwith the increasing institutionalization of state legislatures,worked against partisan change in the legislatures. Nationalparty involvement in state elections increased and is resultingin more integrated party structures.