Holding Ground in the Cerulean Tide: Minority Party Legislators' Strategies for Advancing Climate Policies in Landslide States

Authors

Sukjae Lee, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Geoff Lorenz

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Committee Members

Kevin Smith, Ross Miller, Adam Liska

Department

Political Science

Date of this Version

4-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Major: Political Science

Under the supervision of Professor Geoff Lorenz

Lincoln, Nebraska, April 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Sukjae Lee. Used by permission

Abstract

This dissertation addresses a key puzzle: Why do states sometimes adopt nationally polarized policies, such as climate change legislation, even when doing so does not align with strict partisan interests? The analysis focuses on “landslide states,” where a single party overwhelmingly dominates, and the minority party cannot realistically expect to gain a majority. In these environments, reduced partisan conflict allows minority party legislators to break from traditional partisan paths. As a result, I argue that electoral motivations drive them to signal moderation by advancing liberal policy agendas or incorporating provisions that minimize backlash from their core constituents in landslide states. In Chapter 2, I examine how Republican minority party legislators in liberal landslide states introduce climate change bills. Findings show that electorally safe Republicans propose incentive‐based policies to appeal to both partisan and moderate voters, but electorally vulnerable Republicans introduce regulatory provisions favored by the moderate constituency, hoping to broaden their electoral base in liberal landslide states. Chapter 3 builds on the analysis of bill advancements by examining how minority party legislators advance their bills. In liberal landslide states, vulnerable Republican legislators strategically align their cosponsored bills combined with preferences of key pivotal actors, thereby signaling moderation, circumventing majority‐party gatekeeping, and improving reelection prospects based on legislative success. Conversely, in competitive states—where partisan polarization is higher—electorally safe Republicans are more successful at moving legislation forward, largely because they can invest the necessary time and resources to navigate the legislative process. Chapter 4 then shifts to final policy adoption, specifically examining Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). Overall, liberal state ideology drives RPS innovation; however, non‐renewable clauses and regulatory policies serve as strategic tools for Republican legislators. By incorporating different policy designs, Republican minority party members can maintain ideological consistency while still appealing to moderate voters in landslide states. Taken together, these findings suggest that landslide environments enable minority party legislators to adopt more moderate strategies from bill introduction to policy adoption to achieve legislative success. Ultimately, electoral considerations and strategic positioning—rather than strict partisan loyalty—play crucial roles in shaping policies at the state level.

Advisor: Geoff Lorenz

Recommended Citation

Lee, Sukjae, "Holding Ground in the Cerulean Tide: Minority Party Legislators' Strategies for Advancing Climate Policies in Landslide States" (2025). Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–. 272.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissunl/272