Does Public Funding in State Legislative Elections Encourage Citizens to Run for Office?
This paper examines the potential effect of public financing of campaigns on encouraging citizens to run for office in state legislative elections. Using new data from a survey of community leaders in three states, it examines factors that influence the decision to run for state representative, looking especially at whether the availability of public funds induces strategic candidates to enter a race. The findings indicate that public subsidies are likely to encourage ambitious and quality candidates, but not necessarily those who are most likely to win. Moreover, public subsidies may encourage those who face high “psychic” costs of soliciting campaign contributions, but not necessarily those have difficulty raising money. There is no evidence that public subsidies will boost candidacies from those in under-represented groups such as women, minorities and low income individuals. It is likely to increase the number of liberal candidates. The implications of these findings are discussed