Incumbency Flashcards
how many president have looked for re-election in the last 40 years
7
what is the record for incumbency victory in the last 40 years
four have won and three have lost
what do incumbents never really face
a primary challenge
what is the advantage of not facing a primary challenge
Romney was attacked by members of his own party such as Rand Paul. Romney would spend a total of $449,507,659 in the 2012 election, much of this being used in the primary campaign. By the time it came to the presidential campaign, Obama had spent little time or money campaigning due to him not having a primary campaign, whilst Romney had spend a lot of time and money
where has an incumbent faced a primary challenge
In 1980, President Carter was challenged by the talented Ted Kennedy, outlining the internal democratic party divisions. George HW Bush faced a strong primary challenge from Pat Buchanan, with the expense and the divisive nature of the battle contributing to his defeat to Clinton
where do incumbents benefit over their challengers
they can raise more money and have better staffing resources
what is an example of the financial benefit of incumbency
Obama raised significantly more money than his opponent Mitt Romney. (722m) Given the importance of campaign finance, with the emergence of Super PACs only heightening this.
what is the media benefit of being the incumbent
News outlet MSNBC aired 79 minutes of Obama’s campaign in 2012, compared to Romney’s 44 minutes. Being able to sell your campaign and publicise your candidacy can help presidential candidate to convince the electorate to vote for them.
what has made the likelihood of the incumbent raising more negligible
Super PACs
what does money not guarantee
victory, Clinton outspent trump
what is not guaranteed for incumbents
more airtime
what happened on one weekend in 2012
the conservative Fox News aired Obama for 27 minutes and Romney for 168 minutes
what can challengers often be
charismatic
who were the charismatic challengers against Carter and Bush Snr
Reagan and Clinton respectively
when were campaigns extended
1968
what was agreed in 1980
most commentators agreed that the charismatic Reagan got the better of Carter in the debates
what has been overstated when it comes to the campaign
TV debates
what happened in the 2022 debates
Biden and Trump hurled abuse at each other
when has the challenger outraised incumbent
biden and trump 1bn v 750m
Clinton and bush 1992
what was Obama able to do in 2012
he was able to take credit for popular foreign policy actions, such as the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the killing of Osama Bin Laden in 2011
who was in contrast to the achievements of Obama
Romney who had no achievements
what did Bush have in 2004
the mandate to continue the war in Iraq
what can presidents do when it comes to elections
cite economic successes, such as Bill Clinton in 1996
who is it easer to be during the TV debates
the challenger
why is it easier to be the challenger
you can focus on your promises for the future rather than having to defend your specific agenda in office
what happened in the campaign in 1992
George HW Bush struggled to defend his time in office in 1992, as the economy was doing poorly and he had notoriously had to compromise on his famous 1988 campaign promise; “read my lips, no more taxes”
what was unemployment by the time of the 2020 election
10%
