Chapter 10: Elections and Campaigns

Caucus

A meeting of members of the same political party where party delegates are selected

Momentum

When a candidate wins, they tend to do better than expected in future contests due to increased name recognition and approval

Retrospective voting

Voting for a certain candidate because of their past actions in office

Prospective voting

Voting for a certain candidate because you favor their position on issues

Valence issue

An issue that everyone agrees on, but the question is whether or not the candidate embraces that view

Positional issues

An issue where there are opposing views which divide the voters

Incumbent

Person currently holding an elective office

incumbency advantage

Tendency for incumbents to perform better in congressional elections

Gerrymandering

Strategically drawing boundaries of legislative districts to favor one party

surge and decline

Tendency for a president’s party to do better when he’s at the top of the ticket, but do worse when he is not because there are less enthusiastic voters

Coattails

Tendency for candidates to win more votes because of the presence f a better known candidate at the top of the ticket

political action committee (PAC)

A committee or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

independent expenditures

Spending by PACs to help a party or candidate independently of them

soft money

Funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities

527 organizations

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

Super PAC

A group that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money but cannot coordinate its activities with campaigns

501(c)4 group

A social welfare organization which cannot devote more than 50% of its funds to politics

closed primary

Primary election where only registered party members can vote for a nominee

open primary

Primary election where all voters, regardless of party can vote

blanket primary

Voters can vote for the Democratic candidates, the Republican candidates, or some from each party

runoff primary

A primary in which, to be successful, the candidate must receive a majority of all votes cast in that race