Who Runs for Office? Media Turn to Emma Schroeder to Examine Political Ambition
As the 2026 midterm elections draw attention to who seeks political office, TCU political scientist Emma Schroeder is bringing her expertise on gender and political behavior to the conversation about where political careers often begin: the local level.
Schroeder, assistant professor of political science, recently co-authored an article in The Conversation, drawing on her research into gender and local political ambition. Her work examines not only whether women are interested in seeking public office, but also the factors that can shape their willingness to see themselves as potential candidates.
That research offers an important perspective on women's representation in politics by looking beyond the state and national offices that often receive the most attention. Schroeder and her fellow researchers surveyed 2,000 civically and politically engaged Americans, finding that the gender gap in political ambition persists even at the local level.
“We found that women’s lesser ambition can be attributed to lower confidence in their ability to serve,” Schroeder and her co-authors wrote. “They view themselves as underqualified, though on paper they are often overqualified.”
Schroeder’s research helps illuminate why representation gaps can persist even when qualified potential candidates are already engaged in their communities. It also points to the role encouragement, recruitment and candidate training can play in expanding who considers public service.