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Congressional Elections (Overview (Every 2 years the whole House of…
Congressional Elections
Overview
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To be a representative you have to be at least 25, have been a US citizen at least 7 years and be a resident of the state your congressional district is in. Some states have a locality rule, where you have to be a resident of that congressional district eg.
To be a senator you have to be at least 30, have been a US citizen at least 9 years and be a resident of the state you represent.
They're extremely expensive- in 2012, representatives spent an average of $2 million on their campaigns.
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Power of Incumbency
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In the last 60 years, over 90% of incumbents in the House of Representatives were re-elected
Incumbent Advantages
Elected congressmen get money and free postage off the state, making campaigning easier
They have a record of winning elections, making it easier for them to raise money
They're more visible as they're already an elected official meaning TV interviews are the norm for them
THe main reason is the amount of money they're able to raise- incumbents outspent challengers by $700,000 in 2004
Is this democratic? Money becomes a big factor and it's almost impossible for an incumbent to be uprooted.
However there's still a high turnover as people resign.
An example is Bernie Sanders who became a representative in 1990 and remained until 2004 when he got elected to the Senate
Coat-tails Effect
This is where a higher up candidate ie. the president helps congressional candidates of the same party to get elected
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The House Speaker Paul Ryan credited Trump for gaining a Republican majority in Congress. Clinton had the opposite effect as she failed to enthuse the Democrats
Split-ticket Voting
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This didn't happen in 2016- 100% voted straight ticket, the highest rate in history. This is reflective of how divisive and partisan this election was
When it does happen this often results in a divided government- with the white house one party and congress another. An example of this was during Obama's second term when he struggled to get anything passed eg. Obamacare
Mid-terms
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The president's party tends to lose- in this way it could be seen as the swing effect or a referendum on the president's performance
In a 2014 poll, 54% of voters said the president's performance affected how they voted in the mid-terms
Their outcome affects the power of the president as a divided government limits him. An example is Obama struggling to pass Obamacare in his second term after losing the majority in the mid-terms.
However, voting in the mid-terms may be more reflective of national mood rather than the president's performance- eg. the GOP made huge gains in 2002 because of 9/11.