THE DEMOCRATIC CLASS-STRUGGLE IN THE UNITED-STATES, 1948-1992

We present evidence of a historic realignment in the relationship betw een class and voting behavior in U.S. presidential elections in the po stwar period. We take advantage of recent advances in class analysis a nd statistical methodology to introduce a distinction between ''tradit ional'' class voting and ''total'' class voting. Neither shows a decli ne in the postwar era. The realignment occurred since 1968, as profess ionals and nonmanagerial white-collar workers moved from voting for Re publicans to supporting Democratic presidential candidates. Stronger s upport for Republicans among the self-employed and among managers has more than offset the shift of professionals and nonmanagerial white-co llar workers to the Democrats. Skilled blue-collar workers have become volatile, moving away from their historic support for the Democratic Party without firmly attaching themselves to the Republican Party Sign ificant class differences in voter turnout also contribute to the tota l association between class and voting outcomes.