Abstract
Presidential punch is the effect on electoral outcomes of the endorsement or campaigning for others by a President who is not himself running. Distinct from the more well-researched topic of Presidential coattails—the propensity of strong Presidential candidates to pull Congressional and Senatorial candidates into office with themselves—Presidential punch requires more than straight ticket voting. Voters must be aware of an explicit endorsement and the effect of that awareness depends on their evaluation of the President. Analyses of data from 1977 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia demonstrate that then-President Carter's impact on those races depended on the interaction of (a) knowledge of Carter's support for the Democratic candidate and (b) evaluation of Carter's performance as President.
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