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Angelia’s new book, The Candidacy Calculation examines how perceptions of barriers to candidacy in Canada differ by social, economic, and political backgrounds.

This from the publisher: Through semi-structured interviews with 101 individuals from diverse social backgrounds, geographical locations, and political ideologies, this book uncovers both new and previously overlooked challenges such as online harassment and social media scandals, while also offering a deeper understanding of traditional barriers like financial constraints, work-life balance, employment issues, partisanship, and family responsibilities. The findings demonstrate that individual considerations regarding candidacy are much more complex than previously thought.

Drawing on an intersectional approach, the book analyses how factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, age, and other social attributes intersect to create unique barriers to political careers, thereby presenting a nuanced view of the candidate emergence process in Canada. By rigorously testing the role of political ambition in fostering diversity in political representation, The Candidacy Calculation compares the experiences of women and men, various social groups, and individuals who have become candidates with those who have not. The book aims to assist policymakers and activists in identifying solutions to overcome barriers and enhance opportunities for increasing candidacy among under-represented groups in politics.

Dr. Angelia Wagner is an assistant lecturer and adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science at the º£½ÇÉçÇø. Her research interests include gender and politics, political candidacy, political representation, political communication, and Canadian politics. Her first solo-authored book, The Candidacy Calculation: Challenges to Running for Elected Office in Canada, was published by the University of Toronto Press in April 2025. She also co-edited Gendered Mediation: Identity and Image Making in Canadian Politics (UBC Press, 2019) and has published articles in journals such as the Canadian Journal of Political Science; Feminist Media Studies; International Journal of Press/Politics; Journal of Political Marketing; Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, Journalism Practice; Politics and Gender; Politics, Groups, and Identities; and Women Studies in Communication. She is the co-winner of the 2016 Jill Vickers Prize for the best paper on gender and politics at the previous Canadian Political Science Association conference. Wagner also spent more than 20 years as a journalist, working at newspapers in Alberta and Saskatchewan.