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Diversity in Party Leadership in State Legislatures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Eric R. Hansen Open the ORCID record for Eric R. Hansen [Opens in a new window]  and
Christopher J. Clark
Eric R. Hansen*
Affiliation:
Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Christopher J. Clark
Affiliation:
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
*
Eric R. Hansen, Department of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago, 1032 West Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660, USA. Email: ehansen4@luc.edu
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Abstract

Members of historically underrepresented groups—women, African Americans, Latinos, and workers—are serving in American legislatures in increasing numbers. However, legislators wield substantially greater power in the lawmaking process when they hold leadership positions. Incorporation of these groups into leadership positions could indicate fuller political representation, but scholars to date have not assessed how well these groups are represented in leadership. We analyze original data describing the backgrounds of approximately 2,200 leaders in 30 states between 2003 and 2014. The data show that, on average across states, members of these groups are as well represented in state legislative leadership positions as they are in rank-and-file membership, but there is substantial variation across states and across parties. We then ask what factors might explain this variation and explore institutional characteristics, like the number of leadership positions or leader selection methods. The results show that legislative chambers with a higher number of leadership posts tend to have more women in leadership, and that selection through elections is associated with decreased African American presence in leadership. The findings have implications for minority incorporation and influence in American politics.

Keywords

legislative politicsleadershiprepresentationdiversityparties in legislaturesparties and interest groups
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 81 - 107
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2019

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