Racial Differences in Electoral Persistence

Abstract This article explores racial differences in politicians’ persistence in elections. Empirical data from California city council elections and a close election regression discontinuity show that losing an election leads to a large drop in the likelihood of rerunning for office. However, nonwhite candidates are 59% more likely than white candidates to rerun after a loss. Despite these differences in persistence, the likelihood of winning a subsequent election is similar across racial groups among those who choose to rerun. This persistence among losing nonwhite candidates helps narrow the racial representation gap in elected offices. Occupational heterogeneity analysis suggests that this difference is driven mainly by minority candidates with public or community service experience.