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PREPRIMARY ENDORSEMENTS MAKE POSSIBLE THE DIRECT EVALUATION OF PARTY INFLUENCE OVER NOMINATIONS. THIS STUDY IDENTIFIED ALL ENDORSED CANDIDATES FOR CONGRESSIONAL, STATEWIDE, AND STATE LEGISLATIVE OFFICE IN THE 1986 MINNESOTA PRIMARIES. ENDORSEMENT IN MINNESOTA RESULTS IN LEVELS OF LEGISLATIVE PRIMARY COMPETITION AS LOW AS THOSE IN SEVERAL STATES WITH FORMAL ENDORSING SYSTEMS. FEW CONVENTIONS WERE CLOSELY CONTESTED, AND PRIMARY CHALLENGES CAME MOSTLY FROM CANDIDATES WHO HAD SKIPPED THE CONVENTIONS. NEARLY ALL INCUMBENTS WERE ENDORSED AND RENOMINATED WITHOUT CHALLENGE. CONVENTION AND PRIMARY CONTESTS WERE MORE LIKELY FOR THE FEW OPEN SEATS. ONLY 4 OF 377 ENDORSED CANDIDATES WERE DEFEATED IN THE PRIMARY.

Research suggests that endorsements should affect outcomes in low-information elections such as primaries, but that hypothesis has not yet been tested empirically. Based on a survey of 2002 congressional campaigns, this article describes the universe of individuals and groups that offer endorsements to primary candidates and analyzes their effects on primary election results. It finds that a primary candidate's share of the partisan endorsements issued in the race significantly affects the candidate's vote share, even controlling for campaign funds and candidate quality. Implications for theories of candidate emergence and success are discussed.

"…both labor and management representatives have to recognize each other as being legitimate to the goals of their respective organizations; without this mutual endorsement, hostility, confusion and uncertainty may occur and continue."