NONINCUMBENT FEMALE CANDIDATE SUCCESS IN THE 1992 US HOUSE ELECTIONS

Objective. This article tests the claim that 1992 was the ''year of th e woman'' by examining U.S. House elections between 1972 and 1992. Met hods. Multivariate regression models are tested for women running agai nst male opponents in open seat elections, and for women running again st male incumbents. Results. Women who faced male opponents in open se at races received an increase of over 5 percent in their share of the vote by running in 1992. By contrast, females challenging male incumbe nts did not benefit by running in 1992. This conclusion is supported b y opinion poll data suggesting a changed perception in the electorate toward women candidates in 1992. Conclusions. Only in open seat races for the U.S. House of Representatives is there evidence that running i n 1992 was beneficial to female candidates. The research implies that nonincumbent female candidates behaved strategically by choosing to ru n in an election cycle favoring their candidacies. Future research wil l determine whether female electoral success in 1992 was an isolated e vent or whether female candidates and activists used their experience in 1992 to expand their political gains.