Challengers to Incumbents

ANY NON-OPEN SEAT election featuring more than one candidate has a challenger. Simply put, challengers are candidates who attempt to win a position that is occupied by an office-holder seeking to hold on to the position. Challengers are often at a large disadvantage in elections. With the exception of presidential elections, challengers face obstacles in fundraising, assembling an effective campaign staff, gaining name recognition, and [Page 118]generally, all other aspects of campaigning that lead to electoral success.

Not all challengers, however, are created equal. Some challengers are more formidable opponents than others because they are better at navigating the difficult road to unseating an incumbent. Challengers of this caliber are rare commodities, and such candidates are highly selective of the offices they choose to run for and even when they choose to run. Challengers are more effective when they possess the traits necessary to organize a competent staff and raise funds to offset the money advantages held by incumbents. Higher quality challengers will also consider a wide variety of factors, ranging from the national political climate to characteristics of the incumbent, before devoting the substantial time and resources necessary to mount a successful challenge for a political office.

Some challengers are simply better candidates. Studies of congressional elections have been instrumental in identifying the characteristics that distinguish quality challengers from the rest of the pack. One of the most important characteristics that determines the quality of a challenger is whether or not the challenger has held an elective office. Some researchers have detailed individual, personal characteristics such as competence and integrity in ascertaining which candidates are of a higher quality. Higher quality challengers are those that have sufficient resources for mounting a successful campaign. Quality usually denotes a set of personal traits, but it is also important to consider the practical manifestations of quality throughout the campaign, which occur through the challenger's ability to secure much-needed resources.