The Candidate Emergence Study (CES)

Principal Investigators
L. Sandy Maisel, Colby College
Walter J. Stone, University of California, Davis
Cherie D. Maestas, Florida State University


The Candidate Emergence Study is a multi-year project that seeks to understand how potential candidates for the United States House of Representatives decide whether to run for Congress. The decisions potential candidates make about whether to run directly affect the competitiveness of House election campaigns, how much money is spent, the kinds of campaigns that are run, etc. As a result, our study extends beyond the decision-making of potential House candidates to examine the intensity and content of House campaigns, and how voters respond to variations in campaigns. We draw on extensive surveys of potential candidates, district informants and voters in House election campaigns in 1998, 2002, and 2006. We have received research funding from the National Science Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, Colby College, and the University of California, Davis. None of the funding organizations is responsible for the analysis or interpretations we present.

Below is a list of recent publications and papers from the CES.