Life in the Middle : Oxford University Press : 9780197599730 : 0197599737 : 02 Feb 2022 : "For almost 30 years, political scientists have believed that the Senate would be less affected by partisan polarization due to the existence of a handful of moderate senators who would act as power brokers between the two sides, yet year after year we see partisan gridlock. Life in the Middle argues that the belief in the powerful, pivotal moderate neglects their electoral circumstances, and overestimates their legislative power. Indeed, not all senators are elected under equal circumstances where the modern centrist has to balance between two conflicting constituencies like Susan Collins in Maine, or represents a state where the opposition outnumbers their base like Joe Manchin in West Virginia. Using data compiled from the Congressional Record, the book examines the legislative behaviour of moderates and find that they seldom amend legislation to their preferences, rarely speak on the record, a