Adv. US Gov & Pol - Chapter 9 & 10 Vocab

A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

political party

Republican Party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s, comprising reformers who opposeed patronage

mugwamps/progressives

A period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

critical/realignment periods

An election held to determine the nominee from a particular party

primary elections

A primary election where only registered party members may vote for the party's nominee

closed primary

A primary election where all voters (reguardless of party membership) may vote for the party's nominee

open primary

Party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

super-delegates

Process by which candidates try to attract the support of key party leaders before an election begins

invisible primary

A meeting of party delegates held every four years, which nominates the party's candidate for president

national convention

Delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

national committee

A party committee in Congress that provides funds to members and would-be members

congressional campaign committee

Day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

national chair

A party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage

political machines

A voter's long-term, stable attachment to one of the political parties

partisan identification

Another name for partisan identity

partisanship

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections

two-party system

An electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections

plurality system

A meeting of party followers in which party delegates are selected

caucus

When a candidate wins (especially an upset win), she or he tends to do better than expected in future contests. Sometimes also called the bandwagon effect.

momentum

The most competitive states in the presidential election that either candidate could win; also called swing states

battleground states

Voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office

retrospective voting

Voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

prospective voting

An issue on which everyone agrees, but the question is whether the candidate embraces the same view

valence issue

Issues in whch rival candidates have opposing views and that also divide voters

positional issues

The person already holding and elective office

incumbent

The tendency of incumbents to do better than otherwise similar challengers, especially in congressional elections

incumbency advantage

Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party

gerrymandering

Tendency for the president's party to do better in presidential years when he is at the top of the ticket (the surge, but to do worse when he is not because many voters are less enthusiastic and stay home (the decline)

surge and decline

the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president

coattails

Committees set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raise and spend campaign money from voluntary donations

political action committees (PACs)

Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions to help a party or candidate but done independent from the party or candidate

independent expenditures

Funds obtained by political parties that are spend on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate

soft money

Organizations under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code that raise and spend money to advance political causes

527 organizations

A group that raises and spends unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but cannot coordinate its activities with campaigns in any way

super PAC

A social welfare organization that can devote no more than 50 percent of its funds to politics. Sometimes referred to as "dark money" groups because they do not have to disclose their donors

501(c)4 group