Date of Award
Spring 4-26-2024
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Political Science and International Affairs
Department Chair or Program Director
Cooperman, Rosalyn
First Advisor
McDonald, Jared
Second Advisor
Lester, Emile
Major or Concentration
Political Science
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between establishment support and electoral success in primary elections. Specifically, this relationship is examined through three case studies: the 2023 Virginia Republican legislative primaries, the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, and the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries. The findings indicate that voters employ establishment support as a heuristic when they feel they are independently uninformed on the race and its candidates, but tend not to employ this heuristic in cases where they feel they are sufficiently and independently informed.
Recommended Citation
Haggerty, Edward, "Establishment Support in Primary Elections: How Much Does It Matter?" (2024). Student Research Submissions. 596.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/596