Replication data for: Downsian Voting and the Separation of Powers

Voters, we hypothesize, base their choice of candidates in gubernatorial elections on the policy outcomes they expect from each candidate in government rather than on the personal policy positions of the candidates. Furthermore, voters' expectations about the relative influence of the governor in policymaking and the possibility of divided government elect voters' decisions to assess candidates based on their personal positions or on the policies they are likely to produce in government. We test these hypotheses using survey data from the 1998 Ohio and Texas gubernatorial elections. Survey respondents perceive clear differences between the candidates' positions and the position of the government led by each candidate. Voters' relative proximity to the expected position of the government under each candidate outperforms the voters' relative proximity to the candidates’' personal positions in a model of vote choice. The elect is government position is increased when voters expect a powerful governor to face an opposition legislature or a weak governor to face unified government.