Replication Data for: The Politics of Birth: How Local Representation Shapes Maternal-Infant Outcomes

We examine whether increased gender and racial or ethnic representation in local government affects maternal and infant health in the United States. Linking newly compiled county-level election data from the American Local Government Elections Database to restricted-use National Center for Health Statistics natality and linked mortality files from 1995–2019, we study the first-time electoral victories of female, Black, Hispanic, and Asian candidates. Using a staggered difference-in-differences design—complemented by event-study and regression discontinuity analyses—we find that only the first election of a Black candidate yields statistically significant and substantively meaningful improvements in perinatal outcomes. Specifically, counties that elect their first Black representative experience declines in neonatal and infant mortality, preterm and extremely preterm births, and low birthweight rates. By contrast, female, Hispanic, and Asian representation show no detectable effects on county-level birth outcomes. These results are robust across alternative estimators. Analyses of fiscal, policing, and housing channels reveal little systematic post-election change, suggesting that the improvements in perinatal health following Black political representation likely operate through less observable pathways—such as psychosocial well-being, perceived inclusion, or symbolic empowerment—rather than large reallocations of public resources.