Political Ambition: Who Decides to Run for Congress

By Linda L. Fowler

Book Overview

How do politicians decide whether or not to run for Congress? Using extensive interviews and analyses of district data and opinion polls from New York's 30th Congressional District during the elections of 1984 and 1986, Linda Fowler and Robert McClure assess the personal and contextual factors that motivate some individuals to enter a House race and induce others to remain on the sidelines. They discuss, for example, the cost and complexity of competitive House races, the recruitment of female legislators, and the changes in American politics such as reapportionment, the redistribution of power away from Washington, and the transformation of parties and interest groups. "Their book is a splendid reminder that politics is really the most human of endeavors, and nothing is more central to its human dimension than plain old ambition."-David S. Broder, Washington Post

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300049013
• ISBN13: 9780300049015
• Release Date: September 1990
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent study

Very serious study of what makes certain individuals run for public office, and sometimes more importantly, what makes others who are highly qualified NOT run. For those interested in serious political science.

Interesting, informative and insightful

Having an interest in eventually running for office myself, I purchased this book. The authors follow a campaign for two years, gaining interesting insight into why some candidates run, why others don't, and how their decisions effect the overall political environment. The book isn't meant to be funny or amusing. It is a serious study for people seriously interested in politics as observers or participants. Perhaps one of the most important points in the book is that the founders viewed ambition as part of human nature that should be harnessed to maintain the political structure. Many modern reformers seem to have forgotten that and view ambition as something bad that must be restrained. In any event, if you love politics you'll enjoy this book.