Support for Unconventional Congressional Candidates

• In Event: Research in Five (Graduate Students) Session I

Abstract

While Congress continues to be dominated by White, straight, family men, recent years have been record-breaking for the diverse types of candidates seeking a seat on Capitol Hill. To explore preferences for unconventional candidates, this project uses a conjoint experiment in which respondents are given a pair of candidates, randomly varying the candidate’s children, gender, occupation, race/ethnicity, relationship status, and sexuality. I expect respondents will favor more conventional candidates as they are viewed as more relatable and as possessing traditional values. I find respondents favor candidates that are straight, married, have children, and have political insider occupations and that these trends are driven by Republicans, conservatives, and older respondents. However, I find that a sense of shared similar values with a candidate does not always align with who respondents choose to support in a primary election. Democrats and younger respondents perceived they shared more values with a straight candidate compared to a gay candidate, but this did not appear to decrease these groups' overall willingness to vote for a gay candidate. I find a similar trend for candidates' occupation, such that respondents are more likely to vote for political insiders but share more values with political outsiders. Overall, this project sheds light on voters’ willingness to support nontraditional candidates and how this may impact the advancement of groups historically underrepresented in government.

Author

• Sarina Rhinehart