How do Brazilians choose their governors? An attempt at understanding the electoral behavior in the gubernatorial elections in Brazil in 2014

Abstract

Despite the importance of elections for governor in Brazilian politics, we know very little about how voters behave in gubernatorial elections. Are common features capable of explaining electoral behaviour in gubernatorial races throughout the country? How do evaluations of the national government and of the economy impact these disputes? Do incumbents receive more support from those who have a positive perception of the national government? Does party identification matter? These are the questions addressed in the present work. In doing so, we have developed multivariate analyses using data from the Brazilian Electoral Study conducted in 2014. The results suggest that party identification matters and that the dispute between the PT and the PSDB at the national level also influences gubernatorial races.

electoral behaviour; elections 2014; state governments