Surfin' USA: Women, Candidates of Color, and the Democratic ?Wave? of 2018
Mentor 1
Paru Shah
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
5-4-2019 1:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2019 3:30 PM
Description
Headlines touted the “wave” of women and minority candidates running in the 2018 elections, leading some to conclude that 2018 would be the new “year of the woman” and perhaps “year of the candidate of color.” Scholars were equally excited about the prospects of the 2012, 2014 and 2016 elections, and important strides towards equity have been made. Yet we also know that 90% of elected officials at most levels of government in the US continue to be white, and the vast majority of them white men, despite changes in racial/ethnic minority demographics. In this paper, we examine the over 2,000 Congressional candidates for office in 2018, examining the candidacies of women and candidates of color. Did they raise as much money as their white, male counterparts? Did they have as many challengers? Did they garner a substantial portion of the vote share? And did the Democrats make more inroads than the Republicans? The results point to important structural challenges that continue to face women candidates and candidates of color, and add to the broader scholarship emergence and leadership.
Surfin' USA: Women, Candidates of Color, and the Democratic ?Wave? of 2018
Union Wisconsin Room
Headlines touted the “wave” of women and minority candidates running in the 2018 elections, leading some to conclude that 2018 would be the new “year of the woman” and perhaps “year of the candidate of color.” Scholars were equally excited about the prospects of the 2012, 2014 and 2016 elections, and important strides towards equity have been made. Yet we also know that 90% of elected officials at most levels of government in the US continue to be white, and the vast majority of them white men, despite changes in racial/ethnic minority demographics. In this paper, we examine the over 2,000 Congressional candidates for office in 2018, examining the candidacies of women and candidates of color. Did they raise as much money as their white, male counterparts? Did they have as many challengers? Did they garner a substantial portion of the vote share? And did the Democrats make more inroads than the Republicans? The results point to important structural challenges that continue to face women candidates and candidates of color, and add to the broader scholarship emergence and leadership.
