Rallying Women: Social Movement’s Role in Mobilizing Black Women Candidates

• In Event: Toward Pluralism in REP/Elections Research: Black Women in Electoral Politics

Abstract

In 2014, we read a rallying cry via twitter and around the world—#BlackLivesMatter. This rallying cry mobilized a generation and created an entire cohort of political officials at the local, state and county level. Black women especially began to mobilize and take their political space—with the election of several district attorneys, city council members, and mayors. We even had a black woman be a serious contender in Georgia’s governor’s election. This paper asks what role is did social movements play in the growing emergence of black female candidates We test these questions using a combination of data from twitter, protest data, and the cooperative congressional election survey. Ultimately, we find evidence that black women performed better and were more likely to run for office in districts where protest activity was highest.

Authors

• Meghan E. Wilson, Michigan State University

• Christopher T. Stout, Oregon State University