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State Effects and the Emergence and Success of Female Gubernatorial Candidates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Jason Harold Windett
Jason Harold Windett*
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
*
Jason Harold Windett, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Political Science, 361 Hamilton Hall, CB 3265, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Email: jwindett@unc.edu
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Abstract

This article examines the role of society and culture in shaping the opportunity structure and ambition formation of female gubernatorial candidates in all 50 states over a 40-year period. Using a new data set consisting of every woman who entered a gubernatorial primary from 1978 to 2008, the author analyzes how cultural factors and historical legacies—including the percentage of women in the workforce, higher education, and statewide elective offices—influence the opportunity structure and ambition formation of female candidates. The author argues that the female sociopolitical subculture within individual states heavily influences whether or not female candidates will enter and win their respective primaries and general elections. Rather than assuming that individual characteristics are the primary determinants of ambition formation, this research implies that it is necessary to analyze the political behavior within cultural contexts.

Keywords

campaignsgender and politicswomen governorspolitical culture
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 460 - 482
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2011

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