Congress 8 - Partisanship in Congress Flashcards
What is partisanship
Where members of one party regularly group together to oppose members of another party
Example of House becoming more partisan
32 of 60 most conservative democrats lost seats
Reasons for increased partisanship
- Disappearance of centrist members
- Fewer conservative democrats and liberal republicans
- Gerrymandered districts
Example of Senate becoming more partisan
Centrist democrat Arlen Specter was replaced by Conservative Pat Toomey for Pennsylvania
What was the American Conservative Union’s ratings for Specter and Toomey’s voting records
Specter 4.3%
Toomey 9.3%
What has gerrymandering created
Safe seats
In California, only ____ out of 53 districts had a margin of victory of 10% or less
4
What were incumbency re-election rates in 2016
97% for the House
90% for the Senate
Reasons for high incumbency election rates
- Use of office
- Gerrymandering
- Pork-barrel legislation
- Financial advantage
How is use of office beneficial to winning reelection
Congresspersons can establish popularity and attract major donors. A proven track record inspires trust
How is gerrymandering beneficial to winning reelection
More voters of the same party in a drawn area
What is pork-barrel legislation
When a member of Congress proposes an amendment to legislation that will bring benefits to a particular group. This improves their reelection chances
Example of pork-barrel legislation
In 2016, Congress passed legislation to spend $475 million on a new navy ship.
The project was supported by representatives from Alabama - a district with major shipbuilding companies
Example of incumbents’ financial advantage
On average per candidate. Incumbents raised $1.5M
Challengers raised $0.21
