POSI Topic 3 Political Parties, Candidates, and Campaigns: Defining the Voter's Choice

What relationship does the national Democratic or Republican Party have with the state and local parties?

All three levels are independent but work together.

Which are the major political parties in the United States?

Democratic Party Republican Party

Which two political parties were competitive during the first party system?

Democratic-Republicans Federalists

True or false: Local, state, and national party organizations are hierarchical in structure.

False Reason: No chain of command connects the three levels.

Which of the following are true about political contributions called hard money?

Hard money is money political parties give to candidates. Hard money can be spent as the recipient chooses Hard money is subject to legal limits

What usually happens after a third party is relatively successful in attracting votes during a U.S. national election?

One or both major parties will try to co-opt the issue or issues that made the third party successful.

Which of the following voting blocs migrated to the Republican Party during the 1980s and 1990s?

Southern whites

Which is a reason that some scholars think we have moved into a new party alignment?

The Republican Party has become stronger in the South and the Democratic Party had become stronger in the Northeast.

In politics, what do linkage institutions do?

They connect citizens with government.

What has happened to the New England states since the 1980s?

They have shifted toward the Democrats

They have shifted toward the Democrats.

They have shifted toward the Democrats.

What has happened to the New England states since the 1980s?

They have shifted toward the Democrats.

Which of the following are true of grassroots parties?

They operate at the local level. The are open to all citizens.

State party organizations are usually small and are directed by ______.

a full-time chairperson

What three basic elements are usually involved in a party realignment?

a shift in voters' partisan support in elections an enduring change in the parties' policies and coalitions unusually powerful and divisive issues

Current election laws in the United States favor ______.

a two-party system

Which of the following are functions of political consultants?

advising on how to run a successful campaign gathering voter opinions producing promotional materials

All party organizations have a responsibility to ______.

build support among voters

Although party organizations still manage many tasks related to elections, the lead role in elections now lies with the ______.

candidate

Even if a third-party candidate fails to win an election, the candidate will sometimes accomplish which of the following?

draw attention to an issue previously ignored by the two major candidates encourage one or both major parties to address issues introduced by the third party

State parties are involved with which of the following activities?

election of governors voter registration election of U.S. senators

The fact that more white women than white men vote for the Democratic Party is an example of a(n) ___ gap.

gender

Which type of third party is organized around a framework concerning the nature and role of government in society?

ideologically oriented parties

Political parties began to emerge in the United States ______.

in spite of many of the founding fathers' mistrust of them

The largest expenditure in presidential campaigns is for which of the following?

media

A(n) ______ primary is one in which any registered voter, regardless of party affiliation, may vote.

open

The highlighting of candidates' attributes and policy positions to appeal to voters is called ______.

packaging

Until the early 20th century, the major party's nominees for president were selected via which method?

picked by the party organization

Organizations that nominate and seek to elect candidates to government office are known as ______.

political parties

Today's political campaigns rely on which of the following to be successful?

pollsters media producers campaign strategists

A permanent shift in party allegiances or electoral support is known as a party ______.

realignment

The national, state, and local organizations of the Republican and Democratic parties are ______.

relatively independent; that is, each level does not have much control over the others

Voting for a candidate's past performance rather than future promises is an example of what is called ______ voting.

retrospective

Today, political candidates tend to ______.

set up and run their own campaign organizations

When casting a ______, citizens vote for candidates from different parties.

split ticket

In order to raise enough funds for their campaigns, political candidates raise money from all of the following groups except ______.

state governments

The in-party's chances of staying in power has historically depended primarily on ______.

the condition of the economy

America's plurality, or winner-take-all, system of electing candidates works to the disadvantage of ______.

third parties

The U.S. government functions as a(n) ______ system.

two-party

Which group is the largest voting bloc in the Republican Party?

white evangelical Christians

What is another name for the plurality system?

winner-take-all system

What percentage of party activists work within local political party organizations?

95 percent

Which of the following statements about televised debates in presidential campaigns are true?

They are usually part of presidential campaigns.

Many voters cast a ______, where they only vote for candidates of one party.

straight ticket

Political parties and their ability to control politics in the United States.have been weakened by ______-centered campaigns.

candidate

A state that prevents members of one political party from voting for another party's nominees has which type of primary?

closed

Which type of third party arises from a belief that partisan politics is a corrupting influence that needs to be changed?

reform parties

In the era of Jacksonian democracy, the efforts of local party organizations, along with the extension of voting rights to citizens without property, contributed to an almost ______ increase in election turnout.

fourfold

The rise of candidate-centered campaigns has had which of the following positive effects?

made it easier for political newcomers to win high office encouraged national officeholders to respond to local issues

True or false: Local party organizations are stronger today than they were in the days of the political machines.

False

Which of the following best describes the voting electorate after the expansion of voting rights during the era of Jacksonian democracy?

all white males

Primaries in which candidates of both parties are on the same ballot and the first and second finishers compete in the general election are called ______ primaries.

top-two