When Women Run: Explaining the rise in women state legislative candidates

• In Event: Gender Dynamics on the Campaign Trail and in the Statehouse

Abstract

Since 2016, the number of women running for office has dramatically increased. Although much of the congressional research has demonstrated that women candidates do not face significant disadvantages, other more recent work (Reingold, Haynie, and Widner 2020; Silva and Skulley 2019) shows that women often face different challenges and advantages based on their race and ethnicity. We explore these dynamics at the state level by investigating how institutional environments can also shape who runs for office (esp. women and minorities) and their success in winning. This research has important implications for the representation of marginalized groups.

According to Elder (2012), Democratic women representation in state legislatures has continued to increase while the number of Republican women generally has decreased. This seems to be the case in both the 2016 and 2018 elections, we look at the partisan gap among the women who run and the role of political parties in the decision by women to run and who ultimately wins through an intersectional framework. Using a unique dataset of all state legislative candidates during the 2016 and 2018 election cycles coded by race, ethnicity, and gender, we explore how these factors enhance or diminish the likelihood of candidate emergence and success in winning state legislative seats. Importantly, we include both individual-level indicators as well as institutional and partisan factors, such as legislative professionalism, state-level ideology, competitiveness of seats. Additionally, we examine differences in partisan fundraising as well.

We find an important role for state ideology and other contextual variables, including competitiveness and professionalism, with women from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups more likely to become candidates in states with less professionalized legislatures and less competitive electoral contexts. However, their likelihood of winning is enhanced where there is greater state-level diversity and more liberal ideology. This research suggests the importance of contextual features in shaping the strategies of women candidates, especially those who are from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.

Authors

• Jennifer Hayes Clark, University of Houston

• Gathoni Anne Kimondo, University of Houston