The Politics of Territorial Resistance to Federal Authority: Distinctiveness, Partisanship, and Outbidding in Texas and Alberta

Abstract Federalism involves political struggles around the territorial division of powers. Typically, these struggles tend to occur when the federal government seeks to act in areas of constituent unit jurisdiction. Yet, recent political developments in Texas (Operation Lone Star) and Alberta (Alberta Sovereignty in a United Canada Act) have showcased state/provincial governments seeking to reject federal legislation within seemingly federal jurisdictions. This article develops an explanation for these initiatives that emphasizes regionalism as a form of territorial politics, the partisan dynamics between the state/provincial government and its federal counterpart, and the internal competition within the dominant political party in the state/province that often takes the form of outbidding over who can better stand up to the federal government. The comparison suggests that the partisan and political competition dynamics that prompted these legislative enactments are shaped by political legacies of regional distinctiveness and even sometimes alienation, which have yielded feelings of distrust toward federal authority.