SEGMENTED PARTISANSHIP IN A SOUTHERN POLITICAL ELITE

Segmented partisanship combines the traditional conceptualization of p arty identification with the reality of different parties operating in different locales. Using a sample of campaign contributors in Georgia legislative elections, we analyze the importance of segmented partisa nship by comparing the behavior and attitudes of segmented partisans t o those with consistent party identifications. Segmented partisans are generally less active and less ideologically extreme than their consi stent counterparts, with the differences across the groups varying wit h the salience of the appropriate state or national reference group. T he net effect of segmented partisanship is to moderate the issue confl ict between parties as some citizens seek the ''best fitting'' partisa n identification.