While the literature on political ambition has progressed, there is still much to be learned about the path to elected office for current officeholders and the potential officeholders in the eligibility pool. The most recent research has moved toward looking at candidates in the pre-emergence stage , but the study of individuals in candidate and leadership training programs has largely not been considered. In the dissertation, I argue that training programs account for all three aspects necessary to spur political participation - capacity, motivation, and recruitment. Thus, candidate and leadership training programs should be considered in the our rethinking of the candidate eligibility pool as these programs not only contain individuals who have expressed interest in being politically engaged, but also provide individuals with the tools and resources to be politically engaged. Throughout the dissertation, I examine the relationship between political training programs and representational outcomes. Specifically, I address the role that training programs play in fostering political ambition, particularly for women and minorities, and how completing a training program influences electoral chances of participants. I provide a comprehensive analysis of candidate and leadership training programs in American politics using observational data, field experiments, and interviews. I derive much of the data from a partnership with the Michigan Political Leadership Program. I situate this work in the candidate emergence literature as well as the literature about participation as these programs have assumed, but largely untested benefits for individuals with political ambition.
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