Incumbency

Question 1

how many president have looked for re-election in the last 40 years

Answer 1

7

Question 2

what is the record for incumbency victory in the last 40 years

Answer 2

four have won and three have lost

Question 3

what do incumbents never really face

Answer 3

a primary challenge

Question 4

what is the advantage of not facing a primary challenge

Answer 4

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

Question 5

where has an incumbent faced a primary challenge

Answer 5

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

Question 6

where do incumbents benefit over their challengers

Answer 6

they can raise more money and have better staffing resources

Question 7

what is an example of the financial benefit of incumbency

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

what is the media benefit of being the incumbent

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

what has made the likelihood of the incumbent raising more negligible

Answer 9

Super PACs

Question 10

what does money not guarantee

Answer 10

victory, Clinton outspent trump

Question 11

what is not guaranteed for incumbents

Answer 11

more airtime

Question 12

what happened on one weekend in 2012

Answer 12

the conservative Fox News aired Obama for 27 minutes and Romney for 168 minutes

Question 13

what can challengers often be

Answer 13

charismatic

Question 14

who were the charismatic challengers against Carter and Bush Snr

Answer 14

Reagan and Clinton respectively

Question 15

when were campaigns extended

Answer 15

1968

Question 16

what was agreed in 1980

Answer 16

most commentators agreed that the charismatic Reagan got the better of Carter in the debates

Question 17

what has been overstated when it comes to the campaign

Answer 17

TV debates

Question 18

what happened in the 2022 debates

Answer 18

Biden and Trump hurled abuse at each other

Question 19

when has the challenger outraised incumbent

Answer 19

biden and trump 1bn v 750m

Clinton and bush 1992

Question 20

what was Obama able to do in 2012

Answer 20

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

Question 21

who was in contrast to the achievements of Obama

Answer 21

Romney who had no achievements

Question 22

what did Bush have in 2004

Answer 22

the mandate to continue the war in Iraq

Question 23

what can presidents do when it comes to elections

Answer 23

cite economic successes, such as Bill Clinton in 1996

Question 24

who is it easer to be during the TV debates

Answer 24

the challenger

Question 25

why is it easier to be the challenger

Answer 25

you can focus on your promises for the future rather than having to defend your specific agenda in office

Question 26

what happened in the campaign in 1992

Answer 26

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”

Question 27

what was unemployment by the time of the 2020 election

Answer 27

10%