Impact of opponents’ race, gender, and party on U.S. congressional fundraising

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveA donation for a candidate can be motivated by support for that candidate or by opposition to the candidate's opponent. This study tests the impact that race, gender, and party affiliation of the candidate and the candidate's opponent have on the candidate's fundraising.MethodsThis study uses data from the 2016, 2018, and 2020 U.S. congressional elections to estimate a regression model where the dependent variable is funds raised by each mainstream party candidate, with party, race, and gender of the candidate and the candidate's opponent accounted for in the model, as well as district competitiveness, district economic and demographic characteristics, and whether the seat is open.ResultsFemale Democrats and non‐white male Democrats have a fundraising advantage when running against a white male Republican. Female Republicans or non‐white male Republicans do not have this advantage when running against white male Democrats.ConclusionThe interaction effects of gender and race on fundraising for a candidate and opponent are different depending on party affiliation, and the characteristics of both the candidate and the candidate's opponent must be considered for these effects to be visible.