Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections Flashcards
Incumbent
Candidate currently in office seeking reelection
Reelection rates for all elective offices are very high
1) More than 97% of all members in the House of Representatives who sought seeking reelection have been successful
2) More than 93% of Senators seeking reelection have been successful
Name recognition
Public awareness of a political candidate whether they are familiar with his or her name
Campaign contribution
Incumbents have a strong advantage in raising campaign funds because individuals and groups seeking access to those already in office are inspired to make a contribution
Resources of Office
Incumbents use their offices to keep their names and faces in front of the public
The Franking Privilege
Congressional incumbents send self-promotional newsletter to tens of thousands of registered voters at taxpayers’ expense
Travel back home to their districts virtually every weekend. Paid for by
The tax-funded travel allowance
Congressional incumbents’ taxpayer-funded staff performs
Constituency service and performing services for the official’s constituents
Public Projects
Congressional incumbents obtain federal funds for large-scale projects that benefit their district or state
Pork Barrel Projects
Expensive and wasteful projects that benefit their district or state
Selecting a theme
Finding the right theme or message for a campaign is essential
A successful theme or message is
One that characterizes the candidate or the electoral choice confronting the voters
Most themes or messages focus on
Candidates’ personal qualities do not issue position
Professional campaigns are based on the assumption that a
Candidate’s image is the most important factor affecting voter choice
Negative campaigning
Defining the opponent in negative terms
Negative ads can serve a purpose in
Exposing the record of an opponent
Negative campaigning risks an opponent’s counterattack charges of
Mudslinging, dirty-tricks and sleaze
Use of focus groups and employing
Private polling firms
Incumbent versus Challenger Strategies
Challengers must attack the record of incumbent, deplore current conditions, and stress the need for change
Incumbents must boast of
Their accomplishment during their term or blame the opposition for blocking them
News management
Obtaining favorable, frequent news coverage is critical
Candidates must provide
Good photo ops (staged opportunities for the media to photograph the candidate in a favorable’s settings to the media)
Sound bites are concise and catchy phrases that
Attract media coverage
Sound bites themes must be stated in
Catchy sound bites the viewers will remember
Goals of campaigning: Activate a candidate’s supporters to
Vote for the candidate
Persuade undecided voters to
Support the candidate and activate them to vote for the candidate
The professionalization of campaigns and the high cost of TV advertising drives up
The costs of campaigns
Congressional costs
A winning campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives typically costs $1.3 million
The typical winning campaign for a seat in the Senate costs
$10.6 million (Larger states may cost $20 to $40 million or more)
Public money
Presidential campaigns are partly funded with taxpayer money through the income tax check-off system
Presidential candidates can opt out of the
Taxpayer-funded system
The taxpayer-funded system allows them to
Spend as much money as they can raise, but they receive no public money
Small Donations
Under $200 and make up less than 20% of congressional campaign funds
Large Donations: The 2002 Campaign Finance Reform Law allows
Donors to give a maximum of $2900 per election for federal office
Fat Cats are expected to
Give the max and each family member can do this
Organizational contributions (PACs) are limited to
$5000 per election
PACs can give more by bundling (combining)
$2900 additional individual contributions from individual members
Candidate Self-Financing
Candidates can give or loan money to their campaign
A loan can be repaid to
The candidate later from outside contributions
Campaign contributions are rarely made in the form of a
The direct trade-off for a favorable vote
An arrangement could create
Charges of bribery
Normally, contributors give a general understanding that
A candidate will vote in a way that benefits the contributor when issues affecting the contributor arise
At the presidential level, large contributors buy a meeting with
A high-level White House staff or cabinet official, if not the president directly
Large contributors buy a meeting directly with their
Representative or Senator
Since corporations and unions cannot contribute directly to
A campaign from their funds, they form PACs which can do so
PACs contribution are
The most reliable source of campaign contributions
Many significant contributors do business with
Government agencies
They expect their representative or senator to
Intervene on their behalf
The Federal Election Commission is
The agency charged with enforcing federal election laws and disbursing public presidential campaign funds
Independent organizations can spend whatever they want to promote their political views, so long as they do so without
Cooperation or consultation with a candidate or their campaign
To receive federal funds, candidates must agree to
FEC limits on their campaign spending in both primary and general elections
Federal funding pays for about
One-third of the primary campaign costs and all of the general election costs
The Decision to Run
A serious candidate must start planning more than two years before the election and be able to raise $25 million or more for the primary election
Primary voters tend to be more
Ideologically extreme than those who vote in the general election
Candidates must
Maintain momentum in their campaigns
Traditionally, New Hampshire is
The first state to have its primary election
It is more important strategically to the candidates than it is in
Delegate strength, supplying less than 1% of the delegates needed
Original Intent of the Founders: The Electoral College:
The 538 presidential electors apportioned among the states according to their congressional representation who votes officially elect the president and vice president of the U.S
Winning the popular vote of enough states, thereby winning
All of the electoral college votes from that state
Swing states
Stated that are considered to be winnable by either a Democratic or Republican party’s presidential candidate must be focused on
Swing states including
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida
Economic conditions can be
The best predictor of presidential election outcomes
Favorable economic times benefit the
Incumbent, poor economic conditions benefit the challenger
