(Test 7) AP US Gov Vocab

Conventions

Assembly of a party to talk address concerns of different factions and select candidates for office

Critical elections

Elections that reveal sharp, lasting changes in loyalties to political parties

Dark ads

Anonymously place status updates, photos, videos, or links in target audience to manipulate emotions in order to sway votes

Democratic National Committee

Complex network dedicatedd to furthering party goals and meet every 4 years at national conventions to sharpen policy and increase influence

Democratic Party

Support aggressive efforts for minority rights, stronger protections for the environment, more government services to solve public problems

Divided government

When the presidency is held by one party and one or both houses of Congress by the other party

Economic protest parties

Parties that appear in times of economic distress and blame problems on real or imagined enemies

Hard money

Contributions regulated by the Federal Election Commission with strict limits on donations where only individuals, PACs, and parties can donate

Hill Committees

Non-lawmaking committees that strategize how to win seats in Congress

Ideological Parties

Have specific, comprehensive beliefs on social, economic, and/or political matters

Issue ads

Advertisements that highlight an issue of concern

Jeffersonians

Favored states' rights, limited national government, generally fewer laws and eventually renamed to Democratic-Republicans

McGovern-Fraser Commision

Created by the Democrats to examine, consider and rewrite convention rules

Minor parties

Formed to spread ideas/awareness when major parties are not talking about it

New Deal Coalition

Made up of Democrats, unions, blue-collar workers, minorities, farmers, white Southerners, people in poverty, immigrants, and intellectuals to use government to create social safety nets and solve social problems

Party chairperson

Chief strategisst and spokesperson of a party

Party dealignment

When people become independents or turn away from politics usually from mistrust of government and/or parties

Party realignment

When the balance of power between parties shift greatly usually because a party is dying or being created

Platform

Written list of beliefs and political goods

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Organization that collects political donations to influence an election

Psychographic segmentation

Uses data about personality, lifestyle, and social class to categorize voters

Republican Party

Supports a conservative doctrine, advocate for strong national defense reduce wasteful government spending, limit regulations on businesses, referred to as the "Grand Old Party" or GOP.

Single-issue parties

Parties that focus on one controversial, public policy matter

Single-member districts

Candidate that receives most votes wins that office

Soft money

Donations not regulatedd by the Federal Election Commission that are used for the party and not specific candidates

Splinter parties

Parties that break away from a major party usually based on a strong individual

Superdelegates

High ranking Democratic delegates who can support any Democratic candidate

Swing states

States that can go either way in an election

Super PAC

Collect funds from a varieety of sources and funds can't go to the candidate or political party but can create ads called independent expenditures for/against a candidate as long as they don't coordinate with the candidate

Two-party system

Discourages third-party/independent candidates, especially at the national level

Whig Party

Advocates for strong cntral government, westward expansion, investment in infrastructure with support from a strong national bank

Winner-take-all-voting

Candidate that wins majority of the popular vote receive all of the electoral votes in a state except for Maine and Nebraska