Constituency Congruency and Candidate Competition in U.S. House Elections

Legislative Studies Quarterly, Forthcoming

Posted: 19 Aug 2011

See all articles by Jamie L. Carson

Jamie L. Carson

University of Georgia

Michael Crespin

University of Texas at Dallas - School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

Carrie Eaves

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Emily Wanless

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 18, 2011

Abstract

Research on candidate competition has focused on how much context matters in emergence decisions and election outcomes. If a candidate has previously held elected office, one additional consideration that may influence entry decisions is the relative degree of overlap between the candidate’s current constituency and the “new” set of voters she is seeking to represent. Using GIS software, we derive a measure of the challenger’s personal vote by focusing on constituency congruency between state legislative and congressional districts. Results suggest state legislators are more likely to run for a seat in the U.S. House if constituency congruency is relatively high.

Keywords: Congress, elections, GIS

Suggested Citation

Carson, Jamie L. and Crespin, Michael and Eaves, Carrie and Wanless, Emily, Constituency Congruency and Candidate Competition in U.S. House Elections (August 18, 2011). Legislative Studies Quarterly, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1912015

Jamie L. Carson

University of Georgia ( email )

Athens, GA 30602-6254
United States

Michael Crespin (Contact Author)

University of Texas at Dallas - School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences ( email )

P.O. Box 830688, GR 31
Richardson, TX 75083
United States

Carrie Eaves

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Emily Wanless

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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