Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Effect of Momentum on Congressional Fundraising and Outcomes

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This Doctoral Dissertation Research Investigation analyzes the dynamics of fundraising between incumbents and challengers on a daily basis over an entire election cycle. The principal objective is to estimate momentum effects in incumbents' and challengers' fundraising. Just as in presidential elections, the expectation exists that potential contributors in congressional races make their allocation decisions in terms of bandwagon effects and expectations about who will win. A candidate's expectations of success depend not only on the amount of cash on hand, but also on the rate at which new money is being accumulated. Hence, the rate at which candidates raise money-the operational definition of momentum in this investigation--is a theoretically important factor in understanding congressional election outcomes as well as the interplay between incumbents and challengers over the course of the campaign.This Doctoral Dissertation Research Investigation promises to enhance our understanding of this important topic.