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 …

Becoming a Candidate: Political Ambition and the Decision to Run for Office explores the
factors that drive political ambition at the earliest stages. Using data from a comprehensive …

The health of any democratic system depends on political ambition to generate a steady
supply of quality candidates for office. Because most models of candidate entry assume …

Considering a candidacy for public office involves pondering the courageous step of going
before an electorate and facing potential examination, scrutiny, and rejection. Anyone who …

Based on survey responses from a national random sample of nearly 4,000 high school and
college students, we uncover a dramatic gender gap in political ambition. This finding serves …

It Still Takes A Candidate serves as the only systematic, nationwide empirical account of the
manner in which gender affects political ambition. Based on data from the Citizen Political …

How do politicians decide whether or not to run for Congress? What is involved in the
winnowing process that dictates, months before the election, the choices available to voters …

Politicians' personal beliefs and backgrounds strongly influence politics and policy. But why
do individuals with particular beliefs and backgrounds tend to run for office and become …

Americans without prestigious educational or professional backgrounds hold offices
throughout the American government. Yet we know little about how these ordinary …

The central assumption of ambition theory, it has been said, is that a politician acts today in
terms of the electorate he or she hopes to win tomorrow. I used data on the roll-call behavior …