Cycles, Party Realignment, and Sectionalism of American Presidential Elections in Historical and Comparative Perspectives(Xie Tao) Most of the studies of American presidential elections are singlecase studies that focus on the present election and hence fail to put the election outcome in proper historicalcomparative context. Based on theories of historical cycles, party realignment, and sectionalism, this paper argues that the elections of 1968 and 1992 are critical elections that have resulted in partisan and sectional realignments. The paper further argues that the outcome of the 2012 election largely continues the patterns of partisan and sectional realignments established in the wake of the 1992 election. The paper predicts that there would be a new round of party realignment after 2016, when Barack Obamas second term ends.