American Representation Study, 1958: Candidates

This dataset belongs to a three-part study on American representation conducted shortly before and after the 1958 congressional election (see also American Representation Study, 1958: Candidate and Constituent, Party and American Representation Study, 1958: Candidate and Constituent, Incumbency. This data collection concentrates on the candidates and includes interviews with 251 candidates -- both incumbents and their opponents -- from 146 districts. The questions were designed to elicit information on what the candidates considered to be the most important issues of the campaign, their views on these issues, and their perceptions of the positions of their constituents. The candidates were also asked what influenced them and what they felt influenced the outcome of the campaign. Derived measures calculate 85th Congress roll-call scores on social welfare, foreign involvement, and civil rights issues. Roll-call data and information on committee activities of the congressmen are also provided. The two combined candidate and constituent files contain the same candidate information as this collection, but are structured around the district as the unit of analysis. Demographic information on candidates includes sex, race, year of birth, size of birthplace, highest graduate degree, prior occupations, public offices previously held, several indices of spatial mobility, religious preference, and ethnic background.