PoliSci Chapter 11

the House and the Senate each elect ___ to lead their party's efforts in the chamber

party leaders

gerrymandering is

usually legal

the partisan divide in Congress has grown in recent years and each party engages in ___, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party

party unity

redistricting consists of

redrawing congressional district boundaries within a state

which describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction?

standing committee

the most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is

the Speaker of the House

who has the power to preside over the Senate and vote in case of a tie but otherwise has little real authority in the Senate?

the VP

which makes a Senate challenger more likely to be successful?

1) existing campaign organization 2) strong public recognition 3) access to large sums of money

what is true about midterm elections?

1) less media coverage 2) voter turnout lower 3) president's party loses seats

in terms of the budget to hire office staff,

1) senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state 2) house members receive identical amounts of money

an open-seat election is one in which

an incumbent isn't running

which strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election?

being an incumbent

what would most likely jeopardize an incumbent's chance of reelection?

being caught in a scandal

to plan and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party

caucus

when the party controlling the legislature redraws the boundaries in a way that favors its candidates, it is referred to as

gerrymandering

what is one reason why incumbents have a fundraising advantage over challengers?

have a ready list of potential contributors from past campaigns

which position in the Senate schedules debates on legislation?

majority leader

the Speaker of the House is effectively chosen by the

majority party

the framers of the Constitution granted Congress the power to ___, the greatest powers of all govt

make laws

which is a major reason incumbents are reelected?

many congressional districts and some states lopsidely are Democratic or Republican

why are incumbents at risk when elections are being waged in the context of disruptive issues?

voters are more likely to believe those in power should be removed from office