Paths to Congress: Candidates running for and elected to the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies in 2006

Abstract

This article is intended to identify the variables with the greatest impact on a candidate's odds of being elected to the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) in the 2006 elections. Based on data from the Superior Electoral Court, the article begins by analyzing the existence of statistically significant correlations between gender, age, occupation, schooling, and campaign spending on the one hand and the election outcome on the other (elected versus not elected). Next, the article presents a bivariate logistic regression model to measure the real impact of each of these variables on the candidate's outcome. These same procedures were repeated for the parties of the right, center, and left. The conclusion is that being a professional politician is the most important variable in determining a candidate's electoral success in Brazil.