Question

when barack obama won the presidency in 2008, his electoral map included traditional democratic strongholds, of course, but what political analysts found interesting was that it also included historically conservative states, including virginia, indiana, and north carolina. some described this as an example of coalitional expansion, in which certain demographics—mostly among younger, urban, and ethnically diverse constituencies—temporarily altered long - standing partisan alignments to support obama. however, this coalition was not uniformly replicated in subsequent elections, even by his own party; though considered a “realigning election” akin to 1932 or 1980, the transformation’s legacy is tenuous, as there seems to have been very little permanent shifts in party loyalty.
8
mark for review
what is the main purpose of the text?
a to explore a short - lived partisan alignment that occurred during a particular election, driven primarily by a specific demographic.
b to argue that the 2008 election created a durable political coalition capable of transforming the party system.
c to analyze regional shifts in political allegiance with emphasis on the rise of rural, working - class support for a candidate.
d to describe the party leadership during the obama presidency and their effect on midterm electoral strategy.

Explanation:

• Option A: The text talks about Obama's 2008 election coalition (from younger, urban, diverse demographics) that temporarily changed partisan alignments and wasn't replicated later, matching "short - lived partisan alignment...driven by specific demographic".
• Option B: The text says the coalition "was not uniformly replicated in subsequent elections" and the transformation's legacy is tenuous, so it's not a "durable" coalition, eliminating B.
• Option C: The text focuses on demographic - driven coalition in 2008, not rural, working - class support, eliminating C.
• Option D: The text is about the 2008 election coalition, not party leadership or midterm strategy, eliminating D.

Answer:

A. To explore a short - lived partisan alignment that occurred during a particular election, driven primarily by a specific demographic.