Despite an abundance of studies on the incumbency advantage and elite careers, we know very little about the electoral performance of ministers and ex-ministers. Are ministers electorally rewarded thanks to their powerful position in government? Conversely, are ministers that exit government electorally punished? We tackle both questions using using the case of Canada. The study compares the electoral performance of non-ministers ministers and ex-ministers while controling for a host of personal and institutional factors. Examples from the recent Canadian election will be used to inform the current analysis.

 

Matthew Kerby is a senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations. Dr. Kerby recently joined SPIR following stints at the University of Ottawa and Memorial University of Newfoundland.  He researches primarily in the area of comparative political elites but occasionally dabbles in judicial politics and political communication.