Does policy matter? Lessons from two elections and one ongoing campaign

Few elections have been defined by manifestos, but manifestos have often been seen as a guide to how the rival parties will govern

The last of the national elections that defined 2024 — which was, by any standards, an epic year for election enthusiasts — is rapidly approaching. Three score and ten days remain for the citizens of the United States to pick a government; and, while it was the Republicans who were the party of Abraham Lincoln, it is the Democrats who are clothing themselves in his mantle this time around, declaring they are “for the people”.
 

One question that is worth asking at this point, however, is this: Are elections about policy, after all?
 

The Democratic Party has