Is the Region-Specific Migrant Background of Politicians Related to Their Policy Profile? Insights from Parliamentary Candidates for the German Bundestag

Does the region-specific migrant background of politicians influence their political attitudes? Previous work has usually treated migrant-origin politicians as a homogenous group, without differentiating between different migrant backgrounds. We argue that the country of origin of parliamentary candidates has an effect on their policy profile, due to differences in cultural background and immigration experiences. Using data from the 2017, 2021 and 2025 German candidate surveys, we differentiate politicians with Western European, Eastern European and Middle Eastern, North African and Turkish (MENAT) migrant backgrounds. While the attitudes of migrant-origin politicians closely resemble those without migrant background on most issues, mostly regardless of their status as first- or second-generation migrants, we find some notable heterogeneity. Candidates for the German Bundestag with an MENAT background consider themselves more permissive on immigration and accordingly select into parties with similar stances. In addition, candidates with an Eastern European migrant background oppose same-sex marriage more strongly than non-migrant candidates, even after accounting for various covariates like party affiliation, religiosity and place of living. These findings provide important nuances to the role of migrant background politicians for migrant representation among candidates for political office.