Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Primary Challengers: Examining Competition In U.S. House Primary Elections With Female Candidates, Savannah Nicole Renslow

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has established that voters and political elites hold gendered stereotypes toward female candidates. Additionally, traditional family roles and gendered expectations are found to affect the self-confidence of women and their political ambition. However, little is known about how potential challengers perceive women as candidates. To fill this gap, I examine whether the presence of a woman in a primary election influences the entry of prospective candidates. Are women perceived to be more vulnerable candidates, thus attracting more competition in primary elections?

To answer this, I estimate a negative binomial regression with primary election data for the U.S. House …