1. Mudslinging, money-grubbing, and mayhem: who would ever run for office?
2. The decision to run for office: the theoretical and methodological approach
3. Political ambition in the candidate eligibility pool
4. Barack Obama and 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling: sex, race, and political ambition
5. You could be president someday! early socialization, the role of family, and political ambition
6. On-the-job training: professional circumstances and the decision to run for office
7. You think I should run for office? political parties, political recruitment, and political ambition
8. Biting the bullet: deciding to run for office
9. Future patterns of candidate emergence and studies of political ambition.