To Run or Not to Run for Office: Explaining Nascent Political Ambition

Abstract

In this article, we develop the concept of nascent political ambition and offer the first empirical assessment of potential candidates' initial interest in seeking elective office. Our analysis is based on the Citizen Political Ambition Study-our national survey of nearly 3,800 individuals in the four professions that most frequently precede a career in politics. We find that a general sense of efficacy as a candidate, as well as a politicized upbringing, motivate well-situated potential candidates' inclinations to run for office. Alternatively, status as a member of a group historically excluded from politics depresses the likelihood of considering a candidacy. These findings shed light not only on the prospects for political representation and democratic legitimacy in the United States, but also the means by which to study candidate emergence and conceptualize political ambition.

Political Primacy and MSW Students' Interest in Running for Office

“…This exclusivity can be thought of as a prestige benefit. Most of the literature that associates ambition with running for office makes allusions to the prestige benefit (Black, 1972;Fox & Lawless, 2005;Fox & Lawless, 2011). Those who crave the spotlight, for example, may relish the opportunity to run for office.…”

“…To account for the prestige benefit of running for elected office, the instrument included a measure of "competitive traits" (Fox & Lawless, 2005). Two items asked students to indicate how important it was that they: (1) "earn a lot of money from their job," and (2) "have an important and influential job."…”

“…This represented low reliability, so these items were not necessarily consistent with how respondents understood competitiveness. The scale was used in analyses to conform with previous research (Fox & Lawless, 2005).…”

“…With a unique measure of political primacy, the MLSWS allowed the strength of its relationship to their interest in running for office to be measured. The inclusion of JD students in the MLSWS also allowed this strength to be measured for individuals in a "nonhelping" profession that otherwise has a close relationship to elected office (Fox & Lawless, 2005). "Non-helping" professions can be understood as generally lacking both a human service component as well as an explicit interest and concern for vulnerable populations.…”

Gender Essentialism and Responses to Candidates’ Messages

“…Similarly, the literature on women in politics has often focused on the ways that gender stereotypes limit women's opportunities. Women are often less inclined to see themselves as qualified for political office (Fox & Lawless, 2005, 2010, and politics is often seen as a male dominated game. Gender stereotypes can similarly create an automatic preference for male political leadership (Sanbonmatsu, 2002) and put women at an automatic electoral disadvantage (Dolan et al, 2015;Lawless, 2004).…”