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Testing Spatial Models of Elections: The Influence of Voters and Elites on Candidate Issue Positions
Author(s) -
FRENDREIS JOHN,
GITELSON ALAN R.,
JENKINS SHAN,
ROSCOE DOUGLAS D.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
legislative studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.728
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1939-9162
pISSN - 0362-9805
DOI - 10.3162/036298003x200818
Subject(s) - elite , political science , ideology , legislature , competition (biology) , state (computer science) , function (biology) , political economy , public administration , politics , sociology , law , computer science , ecology , algorithm , evolutionary biology , biology
This research tests spatial models of electoral competition using survey data on state legislative candidates' policy positions and ideology in eight U.S. states. Our data support several hypotheses: 1) candidates' issue positions do not converge; 2) party elites have more extreme positions than do candidates; 3) candidate issue positioning is a function of party‐elite issue positions and union involvement in the campaign, as well as constituency characteristics; and 4) when candidates rely heavily on elite resources during their campaign, elites become more important in shaping candidate issue positions.