Understanding Presidential Endorsements by State Legislators

• In Event: Patterns of Representation in the States

Abstract

Why do politicians endorse presidential candidates? Our paper analyzes the endorsement decisions of state legislators using endorsement behavior from the 2016 presidential cycle and a survey of state legislative candidates. We compare the costs and benefits of endorsements to explain why many legislators refrain from endorsing, and why legislators endorse the candidates they choose.

Authors

• Gregory Koger, University of Miami

• Boris Shor, University of Houston