Good Reasons to Run

Women and Political Candidacy

Shauna L Shames editor Rachel I Bernhard editor Mirya R Holman editor Dawn Langan Teele editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Temple University Press,U.S.

Published:1st May '20

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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Good Reasons to Run cover

After the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, a large cohort of women emerged to run for office. Their efforts changed the landscape of candidates and representation. However, women are still far less likely than men to seek elective office, and face biases and obstacles in campaigns. (Women running for Congress make twice as many phone calls as men to raise the same contributions.) 

The editors and contributors to Good Reasons to Run, a mix of scholars and practitioners, examine the reasons why women run—and do not run—for political office. They focus on the opportunities, policies, and structures that promote women’s candidacies. How do nonprofits help recruit and finance women as candidates? And what role does money play in women’s campaigns? 

The essays in Good Reasons to Run ask not just who wants to run, but how to activate and encourage such ambition among a larger population of potential female candidates while also increasing the diversity of women running for office.

“How might more women in the United States run for and win political office? In this highly accessible and well-integrated edited volume, leading scholars in the field of women in politics provide answers. Drawing on original data, they explain how women can overcome obstacles to their candidacy and how women’s political ambition can be activated by taking into account race, class, and party affiliation. Good Reasons to Run also uncovers the new role that nonprofit organizations are playing in preparing women for public office and analyzes how money matters for women candidates. The insightful findings in this volume make it essential reading for anyone who believes that more women in politics is critical for our democratic future.”—Denise M. Walsh, University of Virginia


“Good Reasons to Run fills a gap in the gender and politics literature by offering a comprehensive examination of women’s political ambition and the effectiveness of programs designed to recruit, train, and encourage female candidates to run for public office. The distinguished scholars contributing to this volume provide timely and essential guidance from an academic and practical perspective for organizations offering such programs as well as women who might consider a run for political office.”—Dianne Bystrom, Director Emerita, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, Iowa State University

ISBN: 9781439919552

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 25mm

Weight: unknown

334 pages