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