Money Can't Buy Me Love: Self‐Financing in Oklahoma State Legislative Races

Jamie N. Smith

Social Science Quarterly, 2026, vol. 107, issue 3

Abstract: Objective Little research has focused on the role that self‐financing plays in state legislative races. Such races are an essential area of study as these races are often the starting ground for many eventual federal and gubernatorial candidates. These races are often run by less experienced candidates and often cost less. How does self‐financing affect candidate performance in these races? Methods Using Oklahoma 2020 and 2022 state legislative primary races as a case study, this article considers the impact of self‐financing on candidate performance and victory across 195 campaigns. OLS regression was used to predict candidate performance, and logistic regression was used to analyze candidate success. Results I find that how candidates self‐finance matters. Candidates who employ self‐loans to campaigns see their overall vote margin and likelihood of winning their primary increase. Conversely, candidates who rely on a greater proportion of self‐donations as a percent of total receipts see their vote margin decline—proportion of self‐loans was not statistically significant. Conclusion These results raise interesting implications for how well studies of candidate self‐financing using statewide and federal races may speak to state legislative races.

Date: 2026
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