Getting Past Go: County Party Chairs' Role in LGBTQ Candidate Emergence

Political representation is shaped not only by voters, but also by the party elites who determine which candidates receive encouragement, institutional support, and access to political networks before campaigns emerge. Although candidate emergence has been extensively studied among women, racial minorities, and other historically marginalized groups, comparatively little research examines whether these same recruitment processes extend to LGBTQ candidates. This study examines how county party chairs perceive LGBTQ candidates across dimensions central to political recruitment, including electability, strategic viability, and recruitment potential. Drawing on original survey data from 311 county party chairs across the United States, the analysis investigates how partisan identity, LGBTQ voter contact, and perceptions of electoral backlash shape support for LGBTQ candidates and willingness to encourage LGBTQ individuals to run for office.