How Do Voters/Elites Respond to Women of Color as State Legislative Candidates

• In Event: Intersectional Candidates, Communication, and Representation

Abstract

The number of women of color running for state legislative office has increased over the last decade, and is often lauded as the driving force for greater representation. In this paper, we examine the growth of women of color candidates and winners between 2012 and 2020, and provide the details on a number of important trends over time. Questions we consider include: where and when women of color have run, and where they have been successful over time? Are they running in majority-minority districts? Are they finding success as Democrats and Republicans? Are they more likely to attract primary and general election challengers? Do voters support their candidacies more or less than others? We evaluate these questions with a new dataset of 2020 state legislative candidates, which we use to compare with previous years data in the states. The larger number of women of color candidates and district contexts allows us to answer a number of questions about how voters evaluate women of color and how other elites respond to their ambition and success.

Authors

• Eric Gonzalez Juenke, Michigan State University

• Paru Shah, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee