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political parties
organized groups of people with similar political ideologies and goals, working together to influence public policy, win elections, and govern
interest groups
organized collections of individuals or organizations that seek to influence public policy and decision-making to achieve specific goals
political action committees (pacs)
organizations that raise and spend money to elect or defeat political candidates, primarily at the federal and state levels
527 groups
type of tax-exempt group that can engage in political activities, primarily focused on influencing elections and policies
elections
formal processes through which voters choose individuals to hold public office, allowing citizens to participate in the democratic governance of their country
media
various means of communication that convey information to the public, including television, radio, newspapers, and digital platforms
two-party/bipartisan system
political system where two major political parties dominate the political landscape, typically leading to stable governance but limiting the representation of alternative viewpoints
party platform
formal set of principles and goals that outlines the party's stance on various issues, serving as a guiding framework for its policies and strategies
realignment
significant and lasting shift in the political landscape, particularly in the party system, where the alignment of voters and parties changes dramatically
primary elections
preliminary election in which voters select candidates to run for office in the general election
national conventions
gathering of delegates from a political party, held to nominate candidates for the presidency and vice presidency, as well as to establish party platforms and unify party members ahead of an election
coalition
alliance formed between two or more political parties or legislators to achieve a common goal or to support a specific piece of legislation
party bases
group of people that associate themselves with a certain party
critical election
pivotal moments in American political history when significant shifts occur
dealignment
process by which voters become less attached to political parties, leading to a decline in party identification
splinter/bolter parties
a political party which branches off from an existing (and usually larger) political party
doctrinal parties
parties that have a specific platform or stance (more broad than single issue parties)
single-issue group
an organization that focuses exclusively on one specific area of public policy, advocacy, or concern
independent candidates
political candidate who does not belong to any established political party and runs for office without formal affiliation to the major party systems
lobbying
process by which individuals or groups, often organized as interest groups, attempt to influence government decision-making and policy outcomes
class action suits
legal actions in which a group of people collectively bring a claim to court, typically against a defendant or organization
amicus curiae briefs
legal documents filed in court cases by non-parties, often organizations or individuals, who have a strong interest in the case's outcome
grassroots campaigning
strategy that mobilizes ordinary citizens to advocate for political causes, often relying on community involvement and local organizing
influence peddling
act of using one's influence in government or politics to obtain favors or preferential treatment for another person or entity in exchange for money or personal gain
federal election campaign act (feca)
federal law enacted in 1971 that regulates political campaign financing
bipartisan campaign reform act (bcra) of 2002 (aka mccain-feingold act)
federal law enacted in 2002 that aimed to regulate the financing of political campaigns
citizens united v federal election commission
ruled that corporations and unions can spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, as long as they do so independently of a candidate's campaign
super pacs
organizations that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections, as long as they do not coordinate directly with candidates or political parties
federal election commission (fec)
independent regulatory agency established in 1975 to oversee and enforce federal campaign finance laws
soft money
political contributions that are made to political parties for purposes other than supporting a specific candidate, often used for party-building activities
hard money
political donations that are regulated by law, specifically by the fec, and can only be used for specific purposes related to campaign financing
incumbent advantage
the benefits that current officeholders have over challengers in elections, making it easier for them to win reelection
gerrymandering
process of manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to favor one political party over another
nominations
formal process of selecting individuals for specific positions, typically within government and politics
general elections
process through which voters select their representatives in government, typically held at regular intervals
plurality
voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not achieve an absolute majority (more than 50%)
runoff primary
a second primary election held in some states to decide which of the two highest candidates for an office in the first primary will be awarded the party nomination
delegates
a person appointed or elected to represent others in a formal capacity, often within legislative or organizational contexts
state caucuses
meetings of members of a political party or faction to discuss and decide on policies, strategies, and candidate selections
conventions
meeting of delegates of a political party at the local, state, provincial, or national level to select candidates for office and to decide party policy
superdelegates
party leaders and elected officials in the democratic party who are given the freedom to support any candidate for the presidential nomination, regardless of the primary election results
mcgovern-fraser commission
established in 1969 by democratic national committee to reform the presidential nomination process
midterm elections
general elections that occur in the middle of a president's four-year term, determining the composition of congress (all house seats and 1/3 of senate)
federal matching funds
financial support provided by the federal government to states for specific programs, where the federal contribution is contingent on state spending
super tuesday
presidential primary election day in february or march when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses
front-loading
practice of scheduling primary elections and caucuses earlier in the election cycle to gain more attention and influence over the selection of delegates
brockered conventions
when no single candidate secures enough delegates to win the party's nomination outright during the primary season, resulting in a contested convention where delegates must negotiate and potentially switch their support to reach a consensus nominee
platform
formal set of principles and goals that outlines a political party's positions on various issues, serving as a guiding document during elections and policy-making
post-convention bump
increase in support that us presidential candidates in either party after the televised national convention
electoral college
winn
winner-take-all system
voter turnout
mandate
split-ticket voting
divided government
g
gridlock
issue-attention cycle
incrementalism
policy fragmentation
mixed economics
laissez-faire
keynesian economics
fiscal policy
deficit spending
supply-side theory
budget deficits
monetary policy
federal reserve board
reserve requirement
discount rate
open market operations
office of management and budget (omb)
house ways and means committee
authorization committees
appropiations committees
budget reform act of 1974
congressional budget office
fiscal year
budget enforcement act of 1990
man
mandatory spending
entitlement programs
discretionary spending
balance of trade
trade deficits
general agreement on tariffs and trade (gatt)
north american free trade agreement (nafta)
united states-mexico-canada agreement (usmca)
social-welfare programs
great society
social security
cola (cost of living adjustment)
medicare
medicaid
supplemental public assistance programs
snap benefits
welfare reform act
gross domestic product (GDP)
patient protection and affordable health care act
