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The Impact of Religion on Voting For Female Congressional Candidates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2015

Mark Setzler  and
Alixandra B. Yanus
Mark Setzler*
Affiliation:
High Point University
Alixandra B. Yanus*
Affiliation:
High Point University
*
Address correspondence to Mark Setzler, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: [email protected]; or Alixandra B. Yanus, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: [email protected]
Address correspondence to Mark Setzler, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: [email protected]; or Alixandra B. Yanus, High Point University, Department of Political Science, 1 University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Research shows that areas with high levels of aggregate religiosity are less likely to elect female candidates to national, state, and local offices. These studies, however, do not determine the causal mechanisms underlying this relationship. In the present analysis, we seek to examine what role, if any, religious exposure and tradition play in determining individuals’ general election vote choices in mixed-gender contests. To explore this relationship, we use data from the 2010 and 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election Studies. We find some evidence of a relationship between religious beliefs and voting for female congressional candidates; when compared to secular voters, evangelical Protestants and Catholics are more likely to vote for Republican women and less likely to support Democratic women. Our results, however, also underscore partisan identities’ central role in shaping individual vote choice, regardless of a candidate's gender.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 679 - 698
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2015 

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