Does Candidate Selection by Primaries Have an Electoral Advantage?

• In Event: Primary Elections, Candidate Selections, and Voter Responses

Abstract

Facing an ongoing decline in their public image and connection to voters, many parties seek other means to improve their electoral fortunes. Past studies identified the adoption of primaries as one such method. The logic is straightforward: by democratizing candidate selection procedures, parties can increase their legitimacy, raise participation, dispose of seemingly corrupt and convoluted institutions, and improve their popularity, public image, and media coverage. Yet do primaries actually provide an electoral advantage? In this paper, we provide a first systematic analysis of this question. Using comparative panel data on party candidate-selection methods over time, as well as a multi-country conjoint experiment on voters’ electoral priorities, we examine whether and to what extent the adoption of primaries contributes to parties’ electoral success. The paper contributes to our understanding of the nexus between party institutions and electoral performance in an age of weakening party-voter ties.

Authors

• Yael Shomer, Tel Aviv University

• Jorge M. Fernandes, University of Lisbon

• Gert-Jan Put, University of Leuven

• Alon Yakter, Tel Aviv University

• Yael Shomer, Tel Aviv University