Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-2h6rp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-18T11:35:35.556Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gender, Partisanship, and Candidate-Selection Mechanisms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Valerie M. Hennings  and
R. Urbatsch
Valerie M. Hennings*
Affiliation:
Morningside College, Sioux City, IA, USA
R. Urbatsch
Affiliation:
Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
*
Valerie M. Hennings, Morningside College, 1501 Morningside Avenue, Sioux City, IA 51106, USA. Email: henningsv@morningside.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

How candidates are selected, such as through nomination by party elites or election by primary voters, potentially influences the underrepresentation of women in political office. Partisan differences suggest that primary voters in right-leaning parties might select fewer female nominees than would their left-leaning counterparts even if both parties' elites are equally likely to select female nominees. This hypothesis is confirmed by an analysis of lieutenant governors in the United States, a position that varies in whether candidates are appointed by party elites or elected by primary voters. In cases where lieutenant-governor candidates are appointed, Democratic and Republican gubernatorial nominees are equally likely to choose female running mates; where primary voters select the lieutenant governor, Republicans are less likely to nominate women.

Keywords

executive electionsexecutive politicsgender politicsidentity/group politicspolitical partiesparties and interest groupsprimary electionspolitical behaviorparties and elections
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , September 2016 , pp. 290 - 312
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abramowitz, Alan, McGlennon, John, and Rapoport, Ronald. 1981. “A Note on Strategic Voting in a Primary Election.” Journal of Politics 43 (3): 899–904..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, Amy C. 2011. “Mayoral Selection and the Demand and Supply of Women Mayors.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 32 (2): 114–35..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Appelbaum, Yoni. 2015. “Emily Farris Is Not Running for President.” The Atlantic, May 15. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/05/emily-farris-is-not-running-for-presi-dent/393443/ (accessed 15 May 2015).Google Scholar
Baldez, Lisa. 2007. “Primaries vs. Quotas: Gender and Candidate Nominations in Mexico, 2003.” Latin American Politics and Society 49 (3): 69–96..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beaton, Ann M., Tougas, Francine, and Laplante, Joelle. 2007. “Love It or Leave It: A Look at Women in Clerical Occupations.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 37 (12): 2827–39..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blais, André, and Lago, Ignacio. 2009. “A General Measure of District Competitiveness.” Electoral Studies 28 (1): 94–100..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A., and Spill, Rorie L.. 2002. “Existing Diversity and Judicial Selection: The Role of the Appointment Method in Establishing Gender Diversity in State Supreme Courts.” Social Science Quarterly 83 (2): 504–18..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brians, Craig Leonard. 2005. “Women for Women? Gender and Party Bias in Voting for Female Candidates.” American Politics Research 33 (3): 357–75..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, Adam R. 2013. “Does Money Buy Votes? The Case of Self-Financed Gubernatorial Candidates, 1998–2008.” Political Behavior 35 (1): 21–41..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruhn, Kathleen. 2003. “Whores and Lesbians: Political Activism, Party Strategies, and Gender Quotas in Mexico.” Electoral Studies 22 (1): 101–19..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bullock, Charles S. III, and Maggiotto, Michael A.. 2003. “Female Candidate Success in Runoff Primaries.” Women & Politics 24 (4): 1–18..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burden, Barry C. 2008. “The Social Roots of the Partisan Gender Gap.” Public Opinion Quarterly 72 (1): 55–75..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burrell, Barbara. 1992. “Women Candidates in Open-Seat Primaries for the U. S. House: 1968–1990.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 17 (4): 493–508..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Camerer, Colin F. 1997. “Progress in Behavioral Game Theory.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 11 (4): 167–88..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 1985. Women as Candidates in American Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J., and Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2013. More Women Can Run: Gender and Pathways to the State Legislatures. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook, Elizabeth Adell, Hartwig, Frederick, and Wilcox, Clyde. 1992. “The Abortion Issue Down Ticket: The Virginia Lieutenant Governor's Race of 1989.” Women & Politics 12 (4): 5–17..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooperman, Rosalyn, and Oppenheimer, Bruce I.. 2001. “The Gender Gap in the House of Representatives.” In Congress Reconsidered, eds. Dodd, Lawrence C., and Oppenheimer, Bruce I.. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press, 125–40.Google Scholar
Crittenden, John. 1962. “Aging and Party Affiliation.” Public Opinion Quarterly 26 (4): 648–57..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, J. William. 1967. There Shall Also Be a Lieutenant Governor. Austin: Institute of Public Affairs.Google Scholar
Declercq, Eugene, and Kaminski, John. 1979. “A New Look at the Office of Lieutenant Governor.” Public Administration Review 38 (3): 256–61..Google Scholar
Delavande, Adeline, and Manski, Charles F.. 2012. “Candidate Preferences and Expectations of Election Outcomes.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109 (10): 3711–15..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, Irene. 1977. Sex Roles in the State House. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Ditonto, Tessa M., Hamilton, Allison J., and Redlawsk, David P.. 2014. “Gender Stereotypes, Information Search, and Voting Behavior in Political Campaigns.” Political Behavior 36 (2): 335–58..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen. 2010. “The Impact of Gender Stereotyped Evaluations on Support for Women Candidates.” Political Behavior 32 (1): 69–88..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen, and Lynch, Timothy. 2014. “It Takes a Survey: Understanding Gender Stereotypes, Abstract Attitudes, and Voting for Women Candidates.” American Politics Research 42 (4): 656–76..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elazar, Daniel J. 1984. American Federalism: A View from the States. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Elder, Laurel. 2012. “The Partisan Gap among Women State Legislators.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 33 (1): 65–85..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enns, Peter K., and Koch, Julianna. 2013. “Public Opinion in the U.S. States: 1956 to 2010.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 13 (3): 349–72..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fiber-Ostrow, Pamela. 2012. “Opening the Door: Women Candidates and California's Primary Elections.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 33 (1): 1–24..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fisher, Patrick. 2008. “Is There an Emerging Age Gap in US Politics?” Society 45 (6): 504–11..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flammang, Janet A. 1997. Women's Political Voice: How Women Are Transforming the Practice and Study of Politics. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Flannelly, Kevin J. 2002. “Voting for Female Candidates: Effects of Voters' Age, Ethnicity, and Gender.” Journal of Social Psychology 142 (3): 397–99..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Formanowicz, Magdalena, Bedynska, Sylwia, Cisłak, Aleksandra, Braun, Friederike, and Sczesny, Sabine. 2013. “Side Effects of Gender-Fair Language: How Feminine Job Titles Influence the Evaluation of Female Applicants.” European Journal of Social Psychology 43 (1): 62–71..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, Linda L., and McClure, Robert D.. 1989. Political Ambition: Who Decides to Run for Congress? New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2004. “Entering the Arena? Gender and the Decision to Run for Office.” American Journal of Political Science 48 (2): 264–80..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Oxley, Zoe M.. 2003. “Gender Stereotyping in State Executive Elections: Candidate Selection and Success.” Journal of Politics 65 (3): 833–50..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Oxley, Zoe M.. 2005. “Does Running with a Woman Help? Evidence from U.S. Gubernatorial Elections.” Politics & Gender 1 (4): 525–46..Google Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A. 2014. “When Gender Matters: Macro-dynamics and Micro-mechanisms.” Political Behavior 36 (3): 605–30..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A., and Ondercin, Heather L.. 2013. “Does Sex Encourage Commitment? The Impact of Candidate Choices on the Time-to-Decision.” Political Behavior 35 (4): 665–86..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gertzog, Irwin N., and Michele Simard, M.. 1981. “Women and ‘Hopeless’ Congressional Candidacies: Nomination Frequency, 1916–1978.” American Politics Research 9 (4): 449–66..Google Scholar
Goelzhauser, Greg. 2011. “Diversifying State Supreme Courts.” Law & Society Review 45 (3): 761–81..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grofman, Bernard, Merrill, Samuel, Brunell, Thomas L., and Koetzle, William. 1999. “The Potential Electoral Disadvantages of a Catch-All Party: Ideological Variance among Republicans and Democrats in the 50 US States.” Party Politics 5 (2): 199–210..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamlin, Alan, and Jennings, Colin. 2011. “Expressive Political Behaviour: Foundations, Scope and Implications.” British Journal of Political Science 41 (3): 645–70..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, Danny. 2005. “Candidate Qualities through a Partisan Lens: A Theory of Trait Ownership.” American Journal of Political Science 49 (4): 908–23..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, Danny. 2011. “When Gender and Party Collide: Stereotyping in Candidate Trait Attribution.” Politics & Gender 7 (2): 133–65..Google Scholar
Henderson, O. Kay. 2010. “Branstad Announces Running Mate.” Radio Iowa, June 24. http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/06/24/branstad-to-announce-running-mate-today/Google Scholar
Hinojosa, Magda. 2012. Selecting Women, Electing Women: Political Representation and Candidate Selection in Latin America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Hirano, Shigeo, James M. Snyder, Jr., Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Hansen, John Mark. 2010. “Primary Elections and Partisan Polarization in the U. S. Congress.” Quarterly Journal of Political Science 5 (2): 169–91..Google Scholar
Holmes, Lisa M., and Emrey, Jolly A.. 2006. “Court Diversification: Staffing the State Courts of Last Resort through Interim Appointments.” Justice System Journal 27 (1): 1–13..Google Scholar
Hood, M. V. III, Kidd, Quentin and Morris, Irwin L.. 2015. “Race and the Tea Party in the Old Dominion: Split-Ticket Voting in the 2013 Virginia Elections.” PS: Political Science & Politics 48 (1): 107–14..Google Scholar
Hutchings, Vincent L., Valentino, Nicholas A., Philpot, Tasha S., and White, Ismail K.. 2004. “The Compassion Strategy: Race and the Gender Gap in Campaign 2000.” Public Opinion Quarterly 68 (4): 512–41..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Isom, Warren Rex. 1938. “The Office of Lieutenant-Governor in the States.” American Political Science Review 32 (5): 921–26..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ivins, Molly, and Dubose, Lou. 2000. Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush. New York: Random House.Google Scholar
Kettleborough, Charles. 1917. “Powers of the Lieutenant-Governor.” American Political Science Review 11 (1): 88–92..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, David C., and Matland, Richard E.. 2003. “Sex and the Grand Old Party: An Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Candidate Sex on Support for a Republican Candidate.” American Politics Research 31 (6): 595–612..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koch, Jeffrey W. 2000. “Do Citizens Apply Gender Stereotypes to Infer Candidates' Ideological Orientations?” Journal of Politics 62 (2): 414–29..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krupnikov, Yanna, and Bauer, Nichole M.. 2014. “The Relationship between Campaign Negativity, Gender and Campaign Context.” Political Behavior 36 (1): 167–88..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kube, Sebastian, and Puppe, Clemens. 2009. “(When and How) Do Voters Try to Manipulate?” Public Choice 139 (1): 39–52..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Pearson, Kathryn. 2008. “The Primary Reason for Women's Underrepresentation? Reevaluating the Conventional Wisdom.” Journal of Politics 70 (1): 67–82..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LoBianco, Tom. 2012. “Gregg, Pence Tap Women for Gubernatorial Tickets.” Associated Press, May 21. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/politics/2012/May/21/gregg__pence_tap_women_for_gubernatorial_tickets.htmlGoogle Scholar
Lühiste, Maarja. 2015. “Party Gatekeepers' Support for Viable Female Candidacy in PR-List Systems.” Politics & Gender 11 (1): 89–116..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maestas, Cherie D., Fulton, Sarah, Maisel, L. Sandy, and Stone, Walter J.. 2006. “When to Risk It? Institutions, Ambitions, and the Decision to Run for the U.S. House.” American Political Science Review 100 (2): 195–208..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mandel, Ruth B. 1981. In the Running: The New Woman Candidate. New Haven: Ticknor and Fields.Google Scholar
Martinez, Michael D. 1989. “Gubernatorial Tickets in Primary Elections, 1983–1986.” State and Local Government Review 21 (2): 84–87..Google Scholar
McElroy, Gail, and Marsh, Michael. 2010. “Candidate Gender and Voter Choice: Analysis from a Multimember Preferential Voting System.” Political Research Quarterly 63 (4): 822–33..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melcher, Dale, Eichstedt, Jennifer L., Eriksen, Shelley, and Clawson, Dan. 1992. “Women's Participation in Local Union Leadership: The Massachusetts Experience.” Industrial and Labor Relations Review 45 (2): 267–80..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mo, Cecilia Hyunjung. 2015. “The Consequences of Explicit and Implicit Gender Attitudes and Candidate Quality in the Calculations of Voters.” Political Behavior 37 (2): 357–95..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nechemias, Carol. 1987. “Changes in the Election of Women to U.S. State Legislative Seats.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 12 (1): 125–42..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ondercin, Heather L., and Welch, Susan. 2009. “Comparing Predictors of Women's Congressional Election Success: Candidates, Primaries, and the General Election.” American Politics Research 37 (4): 593–613..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orden, Erica. 2014. “Cuomo Searches for Running Mate.” Wall Street Journal, May 9, A19.Google Scholar
O'Regan, Valerie, and Stambough, Stephen J.. 2011. “The Novelty Impact: The Politics of Trailblazing Women in Gubernatorial Elections.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 32 (2): 96–113..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philpot, Tasha S. 2004. “A Party of a Different Color? Race, Campaign Communication, and Party Politics.” Political Behavior 26 (3): 249–70..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pisapia, Michael Callaghan. 2010. “The Authority of Women in the Political Development of American Public Education, 1860–1930.” Studies in American Political Development 24 (1): 24–56..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plutzer, Eric, and Zipp, John F.. 1996. “Identity Politics, Partisanship, and Voting for Women Candidates.” Public Opinion Quarterly 60 (1): 30–57..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prémont, Karine. 2008. “The Contemporary American Vice-Presidency: A School for the Presidency?” Canadian Journal of Political Science 41 (4): 953–72..Google Scholar
Rasch, Bj⊘rn Erik. 2014. “Insincere Voting under the Successive Procedure.” Public Choice 158 (3–4): 499–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth, and Harrell, Jessica. 2010. “The Impact of Descriptive Representation on Women's Political Engagement: Does Party Matter?” Political Research Quarterly 63 (2): 280–94..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. 2005. “Women Leading Legislatures: Getting There and Getting Things Done.” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, eds. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press, 197–212.Google Scholar
Rule, Wilma. 1981. “Why Women Don't Run: The Critical Contextual Factors in Women's Legislative Recruitment.” Western Political Quarterly 34 (1): 60–77..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2002. “Political Parties and the Recruitment of Women to State Legislatures.” Journal of Politics 64 (3): 791–809..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2006. Where Women Run: Gender and Party in the American States. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira, and Dolan, Kathleen. 2009. “Do Gender Stereotypes Transcend Party?” Political Research Quarterly 62 (3): 485–94..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schlesinger, Joseph A. 1966. Ambition and Politics: Political Careers in the United States. Chicago: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
Sigelman, Lee, and Wahlbeck, Paul J.. 1997. “The ‘Veepstakes’: Strategic Choice in Presidential Running Mate Selection.” American Political Science Review 91 (4): 855–64..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stambough, Stephen J., and O'Regan, Valerie R.. 2007. “Republican Lambs and the Democratic Pipeline: Partisan Differences in the Nomination of Female Gubernatorial Candidates.” Politics & Gender 3 (3): 349–68..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stephenson, E. Frank. 2011. “Strategic Voting in Open Primaries: Evidence from Rush Limbaugh's ‘Operation Chaos.‘” Public Choice 148 (3): 445–57..Google Scholar
Thomsen, Danielle M. 2015. “Why So Few (Republican) Women? Explaining the Partisan Imbalance of Women in the U. S. Congress.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 40 (2): 295–323..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tuttle, Daniel W. Jr. 1967. “The 1966 Election in Hawaii.” Western Political Quarterly 20 (2): 563–67..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uscinski, Joseph. 2012. “Smith (and Jones) Go to Washington: Democracy and Vice-Presidential Selection.” PS: Political Science & Politics 45 (1): 58–66..Google Scholar
Winder, David W., and Hill, David. 2006. “The Governor and the Lieutenant Governor: Forms of Cooperation between Two State Executives.” Politics & Policy 34 (3): 634–56..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Windett, Jason Harold. 2011. “State Effects and the Emergence and Success of Female Gubernatorial Candidates.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 11 (4): 460–82..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Windett, Jason Harold. 2014. “Gendered Campaign Strategies in U.S. Elections.” American Politics Research 42 (4): 628–55..CrossRefGoogle Scholar