Who Runs for Office?

About 2% of Americans have run for federal, state, or local office in their lifetime, according to the Pew Research Center.  As part of its 2014 survey on political polarization, the center asked over 3,000 respondents if they had ever run for elected office.  Using survey data, the center’s Fact Tank compared American candidates with the general public.  Among other things, the data show that:

1. candidates tend to be white, well-educated men;
2. women account for only 25% of those who have run for office, though they make up roughly half of the country’s adult population;
3. non-Hispanic whites make up 66% of American adults, but 82% of those who have run for office; and
4. 35% of those who have run for office made a political contribution in the last two years, compared with only 15% of American adults.  

The Pew Research Center created the figure below, which compares the percent of the general public with people who have ever run for public office in terms of race, gender, and education level.