Presidential candidates often pursue the endorsements of elected officials hoping to boost the candidate’s chances of electoral success. But do these endorsements really enhance electoral outcomes? This study pays special attention to endorsements by sitting U.S. senators, U.S. House members, and governors in the 2008 Democratic presidential nominating season. Evidence is found of a statistically significant relationship between endorsements and the state-level vote share. Other significant variables include momentum, a state’s racial and elderly composition, the type of selection process, and the number of campaign events each candidate held in the state.
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