Replication Data for: Party Elite Engagement and Coordination in House Primary Elections: A Test of Theories of Parties

The support of party elites in the primary has a strong influence on who runs in a primary and how well they do. Yet party elites do not always engage or coordinate their efforts. Moreover, theories of parties disagree about whether and where party elites should engage and coordinate in primaries depending on their view of the relative importance of electoral and policy goals. This paper examines party elite engagement and coordination in primary elections for the U.S. House between 2004 and 2018. Consistent with theories of parties as networks of policy demanders, party elites are engaged in primaries in competitive and safe districts. In addition, while party elites coordinate their efforts in competitive districts, they are less likely to coordinate in safe districts. While parties are involved in primaries in both safe and competitive districts, their disparate coordination efforts reflect different electoral priorities in these districts.