Resumen de When women run: explaining the emergence of women state legislative candidates

Jennifer Hayes Clark, Gathoni Kimondo

• Since 2016, the number of women running for office has dramatically increased.Although much of the congressional research has demonstrated that womencandidates do not face significant disadvantages, other more recent workshows that women often face different challenges and advantages based ontheir race and ethnicity. We examine the factors that influence how thepolitical and institutional context shapes the emergence of female candidatesfor state legislative seats using an intersectional framework. By exploringthese dynamics at the state level, we leverage significant variability in theinstitutional and political environments to understand how institutions mayshape the emergence of a more diverse pool of candidates. Our findingsunderscore the importance of district demographics in shaping the pool ofcandidates from diverse backgrounds. Institutional and electoral features playa role as well, yet this varies across different racial and ethnic groups.