AP GOV CH 9 vocab

Political Party

group that wants to elect candidates to public office

Progressives (Mugwumps)

Republican party faction from 1890s to 1910s consisting of reformers that opposed patronage (jobs/favors for followers)

Critical or Realignment Periods

times when a major & lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition that supports one/both parties

Split Ticket

voting for candidates from different parties for offices within the same election

Straight Ticket

voting for candidates that are all in the same party

Office-bloc Ballot

ballot that lists all candidates of an office under the name of that office (aka Massachusetts Ballot)

Party Column Ballot

ballot listing all candidates of a party together under the party name (aka Indiana Ballot)

National Convention

meeting of party delegates held every 4 years

National Committee

delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

Congressional Campaign Committee

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

National Chairman

day-to-day party manager elected by national committee

Superdelegates

party leaders/elected officials that become Nat’l Convention delegates without having to run for office in primaries/caucuses

Political Machine

party organization that recruits through tangible incentives/patronage

Ideological Party

party valuing principled stands on issues above all else

Solidary Incentives

social rewards that cause people to join political organizations

Sponsored Party

local/state political party largely supported by another community organization

Personal Following

political support provided to a candidate based on popularity and networks

Two-Party System

electoral system with two dominant parties competing in national elections

Plurality System

electoral system where the winner is the person with the most votes, even if they don’t have a majority (used in almost all US elections)

Caucus

meeting of party members to choose delegates that back one/more primary candidates