Campaigning for State Supreme Court, 2006

Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey of candidates who ran in partisan and nonpartisan state supreme court elections in 2006. While much recent scholarship aimed at explaining election outcomes has demonstrated that candidates and voters act strategically in state supreme court elections, we know little about how supreme court candidates organize their campaigns to achieve their goals, how tightly their campaigns are integrated with parties or interest groups, or how they communicate with voters. This study provides such insights into high-court campaigns. Candidates' campaign organizations rely largely on volunteer labor rather than on paid staff or consultants, although candidates in closer races have more professionalized organizations than do others. Parties and interest groups tend to play a limited role in helping candidates organize their campaigns, although candidates recognize their influence with their high levels of participation, despite qualms, in the candidate questionnaires. State supreme court campaigns are becoming more sophisticated in their modes of communication, even if they are not yet on par with congressional campaigns.