Pros and Cons of Being an Incumbent or Challenger in a Political Office
25 test answers
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answers 25question
Cons of being a challenger
answer
-challenging to raise money -hard to convince people that they have the presidential material required to become president -many voters are unwilling to vote for someone they do not identify with
Unlock the answer
question
Reasons the Framers were hesitant to allow popular vote to determine president
answer
They thought this would result in the most populous states getting to decide the president. The electoral college, they thought, gave some more influence to the smaller states.
Unlock the answer
question
How the Electoral College works/ Winner Take All system
answer
Each state gets electors based on the number of representatives in the House plus 2 senators. The candidate with the most votes receives the electoral vote for that state.
Unlock the answer
question
Pros of Electoral College
answer
*maintains a federal system of government *raises status of minority leaders *contributes to cohesiveness of the country by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president *shoes stability *promotes two party system *requires a wide variety of voters
Unlock the answer
question
Cons of the Electoral College
answer
* some say it could fail to accurately reflect the national popular will *decreases voter turnout *allows for the \"faithless elector\"
Unlock the answer
question
Caucuses vs. Primaries
answer
Caucuses are a series of public gatherings that help select delegates for the nominating conventions. Primaries do not let voters show open support for a delegate; they have secret ballots. In both caucuses and primaries, voters chose the candidate they support for the general election.
Unlock the answer
question
Closed primaries vs. open primaries
answer
Closed primaries are where an individual may only vote within their party. In open primaries, people can vote for anyone they chose, no matter their party.
Unlock the answer
question
Why do many states use frontloading?
answer
They do this in efforts to increase their influence over the nominating process. Candidates nominated early tend to get more attention.
Unlock the answer
question
What happens at conventions?
answer
The party's official candidates are announced for President and VP. Party platforms and media options for publicity are also discussed at conventions.
Unlock the answer
question
House of Representative have a higher reelection rate than do members in the Senate because...
answer
Citizens reelect the incumbent because they are so responsive to their constituents' demands. The rate of reelection for Senators is somewhat lower because of the more diverse constituency they represent, greater media coverage exposure and stronger competition
Unlock the answer
question
Franking
answer
free postage
Unlock the answer
question
pork barrel
answer
allows members to do things for their district which gets them more votes come time for reelection
Unlock the answer
question
junkets
answer
trips
Unlock the answer
question
credit claiming
answer
we consider a leader and a subordinate he appoints to engage in team production
Unlock the answer
question
Qualifications to run for House of Representatives
answer
-25 years olds -U.S. citizen for the past 7 years -live in state that you are running to represent
Unlock the answer
question
Factor that determines how many members a state receives in the H of R
answer
results of U.S. census; based on population
Unlock the answer
question
single-member districts
answer
voting system in which a predetermined constituency elects a single person to some office
Unlock the answer
question
marginal districts
answer
political districts in which candidates elected to H of R win in close elections
Unlock the answer
question
safe districts
answer
house district in which the winner of the general election carries more than 55% of the vote
Unlock the answer
question
how did the passage of the 17th amendment affect senatorial elections?
answer
Direct election by popular vote
Unlock the answer
question
Qualifications to run for the U.S. Senate
answer
-30 years of age -U.S. citizen for nine years -resident of the state when elected
Unlock the answer
