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The Importance of Candidate Sex and Partisan Preference Over Time: A Multi-day Study of Voter Decision-Making

Andersen, David J; DiTonto, Tessa

The Importance of Candidate Sex and Partisan Preference Over Time: A Multi-day Study of Voter Decision-Making Thumbnail


Authors



Abstract

Women often face challenges when running for political office, but precisely when and how candidate sex affects voter decision making is unclear. Using a unique multiday, high-information experiment, we examine how the presence of women candidates in an election influences subjects’ information search, candidate evaluations, and vote decisions. We focus on how the partisan alignment of women candidates (whether they run in the subject’s preferred in-party vs. out-party) matters and at which point in the campaign gender is most influential. We find that subjects who see in-party women candidates are more open to considering the out-party candidate, seeking out more information about the candidates in the race. Out-party women candidates strengthen subjects’ initial partisan preferences, however, leading to less search and higher in-party voting rates. We also find that candidate gender is most influential early in the campaign, and its effects diminish as the campaign progresses.

Citation

Andersen, D. J., & DiTonto, T. (2020). The Importance of Candidate Sex and Partisan Preference Over Time: A Multi-day Study of Voter Decision-Making. Journal of Politics, 82(4), 1337-1353. https://doi.org/10.1086/708340

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 29, 2020
Online Publication Date Jun 29, 2020
Publication Date Oct 1, 2020
Deposit Date Feb 25, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of Politics
Print ISSN 0022-3816
Electronic ISSN 1468-2508
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 82
Issue 4
Pages 1337-1353
DOI https://doi.org/10.1086/708340

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Copyright Statement
© 2020 by The Southern Political Science Association.




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