ORCID

0009-0007-1249-0800

Keywords

Women Candidates, Fundraising, Congressional Representation, Quality

Subject Categories

American Politics | Political Science | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Abstract

What explains women’s candidate emergence in congressional primaries? Does candidate education, experience, and background influence how voters donate to male and female candidates? Using an original dataset, I examine the circumstances under which women are more likely to enter a congressional primary.  This thesis accounts for the variation in candidate emergence across Congressional districts related to district partisanship, candidate quality and fundraising capacity.   The theory suggests that the persistent gap in representation is partly due to women self-selecting to run in districts that favor their candidacy.  Strategic entry serves as a buffer against perceived bias in fundraising and electability. Additionally, I argue that candidates who signal strong viability attract more donor support and increase voter confidence.

I use logit and OLS regression to test the models in the study. The predicted probability model indicates a higher likelihood of women entering a primary in congressional districts that favor Democrats.  The data suggests that Democratic and Republican party networks, policy demanders, and ideological environments may create different opportunity structures for women candidates.  This is reflected in contribution patterns from small individual donors compared to the large individual contributor.   The study finds that women organize funding campaigns targeting different types of donors to circumvent structural biases.  Strong professional credentials, access to fundraising networks and district partisanship that favor their candidacy all lead to an increased likelihood of a women entering a congressional primary.  The high signaling threshold hypothesis had mixed results with men and women showing similar education and professional qualifications

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Knuckey, Jonathan

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

School of Politics, Security and International Affairs

Format

PDF

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

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