Which Candidates Can Be Mavericks? The Effects of Issue Disagreement and Gender on Candidate Evaluations

Abstract

As approval ratings of the U.S. Congress remain depressed, many candidates present themselves as mavericks, willing to counter their party on issues. Yet disagreeing with one's party can be a risky decision and one that is not equally viable for all politicians. In particular, female candidates often face a hostile political climate that privileges “masculine” traits over feminine traits, which may tie female candidates to their party's platform. An experimental study manipulating issue disagreement for a female versus male candidate demonstrates that the female candidate consistently faces harsher penalties in terms of candidate evaluations and voting intentions for disagreeing with her party on multiple issues. Implications for candidate behavior, campaign strategies, and political decision making are discussed.Related Articles Grossmann, Matt. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 881‐904. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12102 Joslyn, Mark R., and Donald P. Haider‐Markel. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 919‐947. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12098/full Kostadinova, Tatiana, and Petia Kostadinova. 2016. “.” Politics & Policy 44 (): 5‐34. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12145/full Related Media 2016. “Trump, As Outsider, Broke Every Rule on Road to Victory.” November 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = rWnRYDRLF7U Couric, Katie. 2014. “Why Aren't There More Women in Politics?” Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = XJBbdr6Z5O8 Manning, Jennifer. 2014. “Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile.” Congressional Research Service. November 24. http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid=%260BL%2BR%5CC%3F%0A