Expanding the Scope of US Party Politics: An Examination of Membership and Campaign Activism in Democrats Abroad Canada

Abstract

Drawing from an original survey of Americans living in Canada and a more specialized survey of members of "Democrats Abroad" in Canada, we examine the representativeness of the US Democratic Party in the Canadian context. We find that among Americans in Canada who identify as Democrats, about one out of five report membership in Democrats Abroad – a minority, but a substantial minority. The socio-demographic and attitudinal biases in party involvement that researchers have long documented in the US are markedly apparent in Canada. But after controlling for these biases, we find that the political events sponsored by Democrats Abroad serve as an independent conduit into transnational campaigning.