2009. “Conditions for Competition in Low-Information Judicial Elections: The Case for Intermediate Appellate Court Elections.” Political Research Quarterly 62

Although much work has examined the conditions for competition and incumbent defeat in high-visibility elections, scholars have conducted little research on these conditions for less visible offices. We look at one particular type of low-information election: those to state intermediate appellate courts (IAC). Using a comprehensive data set of all IAC elections involving incumbents from 2000 to 2007, we estimate models of challenger entry and incumbent suc-cess once challenged. Our results comport, in some cases, and diverge, in others, with the findings of studies of more visible judicial and legislative offices