Political Ambition: Who Decides to Run for Congress

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