Glossary of Political Campaign Terms

Ballot initiative

A procedure allowed in a number of states under which citizens are able to propose a change in the law. If the initiative's backers can gather enough signatures, the proposed change is put to the voters in a referendum. If it is approved by the voters it then becomes law. Ballot initiatives are sometimes referred to as ballot measures or propositions.

Bellwether state

A state that historically tends to vote for the winning candidate, perhaps because it is, demographically, a microcosm of the country as a whole. A good example is Ohio, which has not backed a losing presidential candidate since 1960. In fact, no Republican has ever won the White House without the state. The term derives from the name for a sheep which shepherds would fit with a bell. By listening out for this sheep, the bellwether, shepherds were able to locate the position of the entire flock.

Blue state

A state where people tend to vote for the Democratic Party.

Red state

A state where people tend to vote for the Republican Party.

Yes-man

A sycophant who tells politicians he seeks favor from everything they want to hear, regardless of the damage that it might do to the country. Richard Nixon surrounded himself with yes-men. It's why Watergate happened.

Snowflake

A term that some Republicans use to denigrate Democrats. It is a sarcastic reference to the idea that every snowflake is special.

Gaffe

A verbal error or slip-up made by a politician or other political figure. Or in a famous formulation by American journalist Michael Kinsley, a gaffe is when a politician accidentally says something he or she really means but that was better left unsaid.

Libertarian

A voter whose concerns are driven by belief in a small government, fierce support for fiscal conservative ideas and notions of individual liberty. US libertarians tend to vote Republican, attracted to the party's advocacy for lower taxes and government spending and opposition to regulation of business and to the welfare state. But many libertarians disagree with the party's stances on social issues and the war on drugs. For example, while opposition to same-sex marriage was a key plank in the national Republican Party platform, staunch libertarian voters argued the government had no business restricting individuals' right to enter into a marriage compact.

Talking Head

Also known as "pundit-class." Talking heads are television personalities who often appear on mass media to either give their opinion or spin the news according to their party affiliation. They are famous for their absolute certainty and less famous for their lack of accuracy. They are a frequent source of earned media.

Beltway

An American term for the orbital highway or ring-road that often surrounds major cities. In political reporting, the term refers to business undertaken inside the Interstate 495 highway surrounding Washington DC. A beltway issue is a political issue or debate considered to be of importance only to the political and media class and of little interest to the general public. Those considered to have a beltway mentality are seen as being out of touch with ordinary voters.

Founding fathers

An imprecise term used most often to describe those involved in drafting the Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1776 and the framing and adoption of the constitution at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The term is sometimes also used to include influential figures in the struggle for independence and those who fought the Revolutionary War.

Slactivism

"Activism" done on-line through passive support for a position or policy - like posting an LG+ flag as a Facebook image. Note that activism can and does happen on the web - like organizing campaign rallies or protests or getting out the message. Slactivism is a kind of virtue signalling.

Soft Money

(see also Hard Money) Soft money is money that is donated to political parties where the purpose is not to promote a specific candidate. Soft money islargely unregulated, and there is no cap on it. Political parties can essentially spend it on whatever they want as long as the spending fits a generic objective to "increase the vote." Thus parties often use these funds to support individual candidates through advertising, field and GOTV efforts, all of which can be claimed as helping to increase the vote. [from Investopedia]

Polling

(see also push-polling) The practice of organizations or political consultants contacting voters to determine their voting preferences. Polls that are described in the media are called "external polls." These are typically polls that are done by independent organizations or by party-affiliated organizations that are intended to be consumed by the public. Campaigns also work with political consultants to conduct internal polls that are rarely released to the public. These polls are strategic devices that help campaigns to focus their efforts on particular messages or groups of voters and to get "a sense of the electorate." In campaigns with plenty of cash, these are conducted at least weakly if not daily (see tracking poll). Pollsters attempt to weight their polls so that the distribution of voters (by party affiliation, gender, race & etc.) matches the actual electorate. Poll models typically include "all voters" (i.e. everyone who is eligible to vote) early in the campaign and "likely voters" later in the campaign. When polls fail, it is usually because pollsters misjudged who was likely to vote.

McCain-Feingold

A 2002 campaign finance reform law named after its main sponsors, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona and Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold. The law was designed to limit the system of fundraising and corporate spending in federal election campaigns that existed outside the highly regulated infrastructure of public funding and hard money contributions to political candidates. Much of the law was subsequently overturned by the US Supreme Court, which found restrictions on corporate spending in elections to be an unconstitutional infringement on freedom of speech. Among the parts that remain intact are a ban on unlimited soft money donations to national political parties.

Citizens United

A 2010 Supreme Court ruling that overturned restrictions on corporate spending in political campaigns. In the 5-4 decision, the court equated corporations' right to spend money to influence an election with the right to free speech held by individuals under the First Amendment to the US constitution. It overturned a ban on corporate and union spending on electioneering communications - that is, so-called issue ads broadcast within 60 days of a general election (or 30 days for primary elections) which explicitly mention the name of a candidate. It means unions and corporations may directly advertise, right up until election day, as long as they haven't co-ordinated their advertisements with a candidate's campaign.

Tribalism

A basic instinct to herd with others who hold similar values or beliefs. All humans are capable of succumbing to tribalism. It is an instinct that has helped our ancestors survive against other tribes. Tribalism can be based on familial bonds, language, sports teams, race, religion and politics. While it was a practice that served humans well until the modern age, it is a practice that is harmful to democracy and decision-making.

Benchmark poll

A benchmark poll is typically a poll that is taken before a candidate announces their decision to run for office. It gives candidates a snapshot of where they stand among voters and what their strengths and weaknesses could be in a campaign. Furthermore, it provides a baseline for a campaign to identify what target groups will support and vote for the candidate.

Campaign manager

A campaign manager is a crucial component to any campaign. The campaign manager has extensive experience in running campaigns, managing candidates and holding staff and volunteers accountable.

Third-party candidate

A candidate who does not belong to one of the two main US political parties, the Republicans or the Democrats. No third-party candidate has ever won the presidency, but may have influenced the result. In 1992, Ross Perot took votes away from incumbent George HW Bush and helped Bill Clinton to victory. In 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader is believed to have siphoned votes from Democrat Al Gore, particularly in the key state of Florida, costing Gore the election.

Stump speech

A candidate's routine speech outlining his or her core campaign message. The speech can be tailored to suit specific audiences and may evolve over the course of the campaign. The phrase stems from the days when candidates would make speeches standing on tree stumps. Campaigning politicians are still said to be on the stump.

SuperPac

A category of independent political action group established by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that is allowed to accept and spend unlimited amounts of corporate, individual or union cash on behalf of a candidate, often without disclosing its sources. SuperPacs are barred from coordinating their spending - usually on advertising - with the candidates they support, but some say they in essence operate as shadow campaign committees. See entries on Citizens United and soft money.

War Room

A centralized office or locale for the project manager and the project team to work on the project. It can house information on the project, including documentation and support materials. It allows the project team to work in close proximity.

Dial test

A dial test is a specific kind of focus group where people rate their feelings on a dial, giving numerical value to the findings of the focus group. This can be a great way to assess the scope of how people feel about a candidate and their message. The public sees these most often during presidential debates or major presidential addresses.

Battleground state

A large state with an electorate split relatively evenly between Democrats and Republicans, so named because candidates spend a disproportionate amount of time and money campaigning there. Traditional battleground states include Florida and Pennsylvania, which have 29 and 20 electoral votes. The battleground states change as state demographics and party affiliations change. Once considered battleground states, Virginia is now a Democratic-leaning state while Ohio is now a Republican-leaning state. Meanwhile North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona have become battleground states.

Primary

A local or state-level election held to nominate a party's candidate for office. Regulations governing them and the dates on which they are held vary from state to state. In some states, voters are restricted to choosing candidates only from the party for which they have registered support, however 29 states permit open primaries in which a voter may opt to back a candidate regardless of their nominal affiliation. In this case, strategic voting may take place with, for example, Republicans crossing over to back the perceived weaker Democratic candidate. Primaries first emerged as a result of the so-called progressive movement of the early 20th Century, which argued that leaving the nomination process purely to party bosses was inherently undemocratic.

Caucus

A meeting of party members and activists at which they choose which candidate to back for the party nomination. In procedures that vary by state and party, participants in presidential caucuses meet in their local communities to choose which candidates they want to support. The caucuses allocate delegates based on the level of that support. The results are then tallied state-wide, and the candidate with the most delegates is said to win the state. Critics of the caucus system argue that its laborious nature tends to mean it is dominated by political activists whose preferences may not reflect those of the broader electorate. Just under a dozen states use the system - the number is different according to party. The most important party caucuses in recent years have been in Iowa.

Congressman/woman

A member of the House of Representatives, typically. The term can refer to a member of the Senate.

Grassroots

A movement (as opposed to a campaign) to win support for a position or policy waged by real people and volunteer organizers. Grassroots is related to field, though field often pays organizers like the people who stand on the streets gathering signatures. See also, astroturfing.

Lobbyist

A person hired to represent the interests of a company, industry, political cause or foreign government in the Congress, regulatory agencies or other parts of the US government. Effective lobbyists are very well-connected and are often former members of Congress or former Congressional staff.

Bundler

A person who gathers ("bundles") campaign contributions to a candidate from his or her network of friends and business associates. Bundlers, who are often wealthy and well-connected, play a crucial role in contemporary campaign finance. Individuals are barred by federal law from donating more than $2,700 per election to a candidate (and $5,000/year to a Political Action Committee and $10,000/year to a state political party and $33,400/year to a national political party). But they can increase their influence by providing to the candidate checks they have solicited from their associates and acquaintances. Top bundlers provide over $1,000,000 in contributions to a single candidate.

Wonk

A political figure or pundit seen as having a studied and detailed command of public policy.

Wedge issue

An issue on which a candidate campaigns in order to divide factions within his opponent's supporter base. For example, in 2004 Republicans proposed same-sex marriage bans in more than a dozen states and Republican candidates loudly trumpeted their support. The subsequent referenda were aimed at attracting voters who supported the Democrats on most economic issues but who felt strongly about social issues. Conversely, Democrats might highlight their more liberal position on abortion, in an attempt to win over pro-choice Republicans.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization formed to promote its members' views on selected issues, usually by raising money that is used to fund candidates who support the group's position. PACs monitor candidates' voting records and question them on their beliefs on issues of interest to their membership. Because federal law restricts the amount of money an individual, corporation or union can give to candidates, PACs have become an important way of funneling large checks into the political process and influencing elections

Purple state

Another term for a swing state. A state which could vote Democratic (blue) or Republican (red).

Brushfire poll

Brushfire polls happen in between benchmark polls and tracking polls and usually determine how competitive the race is going to be. These polls can be used for many different things, ranging from assessing support, trying different messages and testing possible attack messages that could be used against the opposing candidate.

Voter file

Candidates have access to great voter files through their state parties. A voter file provides campaigns with a list of registered voters to use when targeting communications or for Field operations.

Communications director

Communications directors are crucial and central to managing a campaign's interactions with the media. They are in charge of the campaign narrative, media relations, and opportunities for the campaign. The communications director is crucial to keeping the message and media opportunities on target.

Democratic performance

Democratic performance refers to the average number of votes that a democratic candidate will receive in the specific precinct or district they are running in. These are used as a guidelines. Democratic candidates are expected to meet and exceed these targets with a well-run campaign.

Astroturfing

Fake grassroots. Politicians and corporations that take employ the astroturfing strategy use media campaigns to falsely signal that support is growing among the people for a particular position or policy.

Field organizer

Field organizers are the people in charge of finding, training and managing volunteers and workers involved in a campaign. They are important because they make sure that field operation runs smoothly and that volunteers are reaching the right voters.

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

First implemented in 1971, the Federal Election Campaign Act is a US federal law that provides for the disclosure of financial contributions to federal campaigns and regulates contributions. In 1974, the law was toughened and new amendments established strict disclosure requirements for campaign donations, set specific limits for those donations, instituted public financing of presidential elections, and established the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to govern the whole process. Subsequently, many of the restrictions on campaign spending and contributions have been pared back in a series of Supreme Court decisions.

Focus group

Focus groups are invaluable to campaigns. Focus groups provide insight on how different strategies, messages or targeting plans will work by consulting actual groups of people. Focus groups will also provide strategies for communicating and mobilizing undecided voters.Democratic candidates are often victims of focus groups whose results are proscriptive (what the world should look like) rather than descriptive (what the world does look like).

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission as an independent regulatory agency to administer and enforce federal election law. The FEC discloses campaign finance information, enforces the law and oversees the public funding of presidential elections. By law, no more than three of the six members of the commission can be members of the same political party. During an election period, the commission collects and publishes lists of contributions to all the official candidates, as well as their campaign spending.

Washington

In politics, this word is typically a synecdoche that stands for all federal politics and policies, particularly including the legislative branch and the executive branch (including departments and agencies).

Senator

Member of the Senate, the upper house of Congress. Each US state has two (a junior and a senior senator, distinguished by length of service).

Hard money

Money contributed by an individual directly to a particular campaign. Individuals can currently contribute $2,700 to a candidate's primary campaign, and an additional $2,700 to a candidate's general election campaign. They can make these donations to multiple candidates. The first $270 an individual donates to a candidate's primary campaign can be matched dollar-for-dollar from federal matching funds. Limits on state-wide elections vary according to state laws.

Public funding

Money supplied to campaigns from government coffers and administered by the Federal Election Commission. This includes primary election matching funds, which match the money candidates have raised privately, and a grant for the general election, and grants to fund the major parties' conventions. Presidential candidates who accept public funding must agree to spending limits. In the general election, candidates who accept public funds may not raise private money in addition to the grant, nor can they spend more than the grant (though some legal and accounting expenses and some of candidates' personal cash is exempt). In 2008, Barrack Obama became the first candidate to decline public funds for the general election because he calculated he could raise more on his own and did not want to be held to an $84.1m spending limit - including what he had already raised privately. Also, he feared attack from well-funded independent conservative groups not subject to spending limits. To qualify for primary election matching funds, presidential candidates need to raise at least $100,000 in individual donations, including at least $5,000 from 20 different states. Candidates who fail to receive at least 10% of the popular vote in two successive primary elections lose their eligibility for continued payments, unless and until they receive at least 20% of the vote in a later primary. The two major parties - the Democrats and Republicans - are automatically entitled to a public grant to pay for the cost of their national conventions. Minor parties are also entitled to a smaller subsidy in proportion to the vote they received. New parties are not eligible.

Campaign

Often used to describe an election season in general. Operatives use the term to refer to the offices and administration of a political campaign. Most political campaigns will have staff or volunteers who perform the following roles: Campaign Manager, Fundraiser (usually called Finance Director), Field Organizer, Communications Director. Larger campaigns will have significantly more roles like pollster, policy director and spokesperson, or like breaking the communications director role into digital communication, mass media and messaging directors.

Base Voting

One of two possible strategies for targeting voters during an election. Candidates can choose to target independents and moderates in the hopes of winning their votes (and costing their opponent votes - each vote flipped is worth two votes in the election). Or candidates can choose to run a "base voting" campaign, which targets voters in their own party in the hopes of increasing turnout among their own voters. Party members who are excited by a "red meat" candidate (a candidate who takes core party positions) are more likely to turn out than candidates who are turned off by a candidate's moderation.

Independent

Registered voters who have not declared a party affiliation. Because most voters registered for a particular party will vote for that party's candidate, some general election campaigns have tended to focus on winning over these groups (see also Base Voting). Nationwide about a third of all voters consider themselves independent, but some key states have a higher proportion of independent voters than others. New Hampshire, for example, traditionally has a large number of independents and as a result has a reputation for producing unexpected results during its primary elections.

Republican performance

Republican performance refers to the average number of votes that a Republican candidate will receive in the specific precinct or district they are running in. These are used as a guidelines. Republican candidates are expected to meet and exceed these targets with a well-run campaign.

Vote goal

Simply put, a vote goal is the number of votes a candidate needs to win election. With this goal in place candidates know how many voters they need to convince to turn out to the polls in order to win the election. By consulting the local board of elections candidates can see the history of voter turnout in their area and the number of registered voters then quantify what the voter goal should be.

Swing states

States in which the electorate is relatively evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, making them targets for aggressive campaigning by both sides. As demographics shift, swing states shift to one party or another. Virginia was a Red State for decades, briefly became a Purple state and is now a blue state. Ohio was a swing state for decades but is now a red state. Florida and Michigan are now critical swing states. Those have a high number of electoral votes, making them prime battlegrounds during the election.

House Majority Leader

The House Majority Leader is the second most powerful member of the majority party in the House of Representatives. Unlike the speaker, he or she has no responsibility for the House as a whole, and focuses purely on advancing the interests of his or her party - for example, by organizing members to support the party's policy agenda.

The House of Representatives

The House is the larger of the two houses of Congress which are the law-making branches of government. The 435 members of the House - generally known as Congressmen and Congresswomen - serve two-year terms. The presiding member, the Speaker of the House, is elected by a majority vote of members of the House at the beginning of each new Congress. In practice, this is the leader of the party holding the majority. House members each represent approximately 800,000 citizens in their districts. The number of districts for each state is determined each decade by a proportional allocation based on the federal census.

GOTV

The acronym for "get out the vote." In the last days of the election, campaigns gear up with additional volunteers who make phone calls or knock on doors, and many who drive voters (especially the elderly) from their homes to their voting stations. Campaign staff do not sleep during GOTV.

Trolling

The act of saying or doing something so outrageous that it precipitates a response that is either even more outrageous or that prompts a stereotypical response. It is done to distract opponents, to drain the resources of opponents, and to solidify the consensus of one's own tribe.

Pork barrel politics

The appropriation of government spending - or pork - pursued by a lawmaker for projects that benefit his or her constituents or campaign contributors.

Air War

The battle between candidates to get as much advertising on television and radio as possible. In recent years, online advertisements, which are cheaper and can be more carefully targeted, have grown increasingly important.

Inauguration

The ceremony that marks the start of the new president's term of office. This happens on 20 January of the year following the election.

Electoral College

The collective term for the 538 electors who officially elect the president and vice-president of the United States. Presidential candidates require a majority of 270 college votes to win the presidency. The number of electors for each state is equal to the combined total of its senators and representatives in Congress. The college system was conceived before the existence of political parties and was designed to allow the electors to act as independent voters. Electors are now expected to follow the wishes of the majority of voters in each state. However, there have been a number of cases in recent elections where at least one elector has voted for a candidate other than the one they were pledged to. Two states, Nebraska and Maine, now divide their electors to accommodate voting by Congressional District.

Bill of rights

The collective term for the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution establishing the fundamental rights of individual citizens. The amendments act as a mutually reinforcing set of rights and limit the powers of federal and state governments. Acts of Congress or laws ruled to be in conflict with these rights are deemed unconstitutional and may be declared void by the US Supreme Court. The framers of the US Constitution added the Bill of Rights in part because few individual rights were specified in the main body of the constitution.

Commander in chief

The constitutional role granted to the president as head of the United States' armed forces.

Push polling

The controversial practice where voters are contacted over the telephone by people who are ostensibly taking a poll, but who talk up their own candidate or talk down opposing candidates.

Super Tuesday

The day in the campaign calendar, usually in February or early March of an election year, when a large number of states hold primary elections. The first Super Tuesday occurred in the 1988 campaign, when southern state party officials hoped that by holding their votes on the same day they would increase the influence of the South and downplay the importance of the earlier New Hampshire primaries and Iowa caucuses.

Donkey

The donkey has become the established - although unofficial - political symbol for the Democratic Party. Democratic Party historians say the symbol was first used during Andrew Jackson's presidential campaign in 1828. Labelled a jackass by his opponents, he adopted the donkey for his campaign posters and it stuck with him. By the end of the 19th Century, the symbol was firmly established.

Constitution of the United States

The fundamental and founding law of the US federal system of government. The US constitution and its 27 amendments establish the principal organs of government, their roles, and the basic rights of citizens. It is upheld as the supreme law of the land, meaning all federal and state laws, executive actions and judicial decisions must be consistent with it. The US constitution was ratified in 1788, and was most recently amended in 1992. It is the oldest written national constitution in effect.

Topline

The key finding of election polls - who is ahead, who is behind. This is almost always the top line of the poll.

Speaker of the House

The leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives - not to be confused with the House Majority Leader. The House Speaker has a dual role as both the leader of his or her party in the House, and as the presiding officer in the chamber, with responsibility for controlling debate and setting the legislative agenda. Under the terms of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the speaker is the second in line to the presidency after the vice-president.

Senate Majority Leader

The leader of the majority party in the Senate, and the most powerful member of the upper house of Congress. He or she controls the daily legislative program and decides on the time allowed for debates.

House Minority Leader

The leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives. He or she acts as a spokesperson for the minority party's policy position and organizes its legislative strategy. In practice, the minority leader has very little legislative influence, because the House rules essentially allow the majority party to pass bills unilaterally.

Senate Minority Leader

The leader of the minority party in the Senate. He or she acts as a figurehead for the minority party in the Senate, articulating its policy positions and attempting to deliver its legislative priorities.

Congress

The legislative branch of the US government as prescribed in Article I of the US constitution. It is made up of two houses - the 435-member House of Representatives and 100-member Senate - each of which officially has equal power, if not prestige. A congressional period lasts two years (or sessions) and begins at noon on 3 January of odd-numbered years. As well as drafting and implementing laws, Congress can also: ● Investigate matters of public concern ● Oversee federal agencies and their programs ● Declare war ● Approve and ratify treaties ● Regulate commerce ● Increase and decrease taxes ● Print and appropriate money ● Confirm/approve judicial and federal appointments and nominations ● Impeach federal officials including the president and vice-president ● Override presidential vetoes based on a two-thirds majority in each chamber.

Turnout

The most critical part of any close election is turnout. Campaigns work tirelessly to turn out voters who are most likely to vote for their candidate and to suppress the voter turnout for their opponents. Field, GOTV and earned media tend to increase turnout for campaigns while paid media (advertising), most of which is negative, is usually designed to suppress the opponent's turnout.

Oval Office

The office traditionally occupied by the president in the West Wing of the White House. The term is often used to describe the presidency itself, and the physical proximity of aides to the Oval Office is seen as reflecting the extent of their influence.

National convention

The party assembly held every four years at which state delegates from across the country gather to nominate the party's candidates for president and vice-president. The nominees are typically chosen by party voters in primary elections and caucuses well ahead of the conventions, but the formal convention processes remain in place in case the decision over the party's candidate has to be brokered by the various party leaders.

Delegates

The party members whose votes at the national convention officially determine the two parties' presidential candidates. Most of the delegates at the convention are obligated to vote for the candidate chosen in primary elections or caucuses in their home state. They are referred to as pledged or elected delegates. Some delegates, however, are unpledged and are able to vote for any candidate at the convention. In the Democratic Party, these unpledged delegates are called super-delegates. They include senior members of the party hierarchy and rank-and-file members elected to the Democratic National Committee, the party's governing body.

Gerrymandering

The practice of drawing political constituency maps to increase a particular candidate's or party's advantage in a subsequent election. In its rawest form, gerrymandering is when politicians choose their voters, rather than voters choosing their politicians. In the US, political district maps are typically redrawn once a decade following the completion of the census. The party in power in a state government uses sophisticated mapping and statistical data to redraw the map to ensure its candidates have the best chance of success, usually by diluting the electoral strength of the opposition party's supporters. One mechanism might involve splitting a city into two or more House districts, each of which is then dominated by suburban voters.

Running mate

The presidential nominee's candidate for the vice-presidency.

Vice-President

The presiding officer of the US Senate and the person who assumes the office of the president in the event of the resignation, removal, incapacitation or death of the incumbent president. The vice-president only casts a vote in the Senate in the event of a tie. Although those are the only duties the US constitution enumerates for the office, the vice-president can amass significant informal power in his capacity as an adviser to the president.

Capitol

The seat of Congress in Washington DC. Constructed largely of white marble, it is home to both the Senate and House of Representatives. The steps of the Capitol building are traditionally the stage for the inauguration of presidents on 20 January following an election year.

Front-loading

The tendency, which has become more marked in recent years, for states to move their primaries and caucuses forward, in an attempt to be among the first states holding a nominating contest. State authorities believe that coming at the front of the queue increases their influence on the nomination process. However, if too many states hold their contests in a short space of time, critics argue, candidates are unable to connect with voters in each individual state. A side-effect is that the process starts earlier in the year.

Field

The term that campaigns use to describe grassroots organizing. The two most critical components of any campaign are advertising and field. Advertising includes earned, paid and owned media. Field includes volunteers, door-knocking, phone-calling and Get out the Vote (GOTV) efforts. Field has become increasingly important in recent years as microtargetting provides each campaign with excellent information about the voting patterns of every voter. Field is grounded in the idea of "voter contact." Person-to-person contact based on voter data is more likely to get the right voters to vote for a particular candidate than any other method of campaigning. Obviously, voter contact is much more labor-intensive than mass media advertising.

Grand Old Party (GOP)

The traditional nickname for the Republican Party widely used in American political reporting. The party's official history traces the term back to the late 19th Century citing an article in the Boston Post headlined: The GOP Doomed. The party website suggests the term may have evolved from the term used to refer to British Prime Minister William Gladstone - the Grand Old Man.

Elephant

The traditional symbol for the Republican Party, believed first to have been used in that context by an Illinois newspaper during Abraham Lincoln's 1860 election. Thomas Nast popularized the image in a cartoon in an 1874 edition of Harper's Weekly, as pro-Democratic newspapers were accusing the Republican president of Caesarism for allegedly seeking a third term in office.

Senate

The upper house of Congress, although members of the other house - the House of Representatives - traditionally regard it as an equal body. The Senate has 100 elected members, two from each state, serving six-year terms with one-third of the seats coming up for election every two years. The vice-president serves as the presiding officer over the Senate, although he or she does not serve on any committees and is restricted to voting only in the event of a tie.

Supermajority

The vote margin of two-thirds or three-quarters of the quorum, as opposed to a simple majority of 50% plus one. For example, for an amendment to be added to the US constitution, it must be approved by a supermajority of two-thirds in both houses of Congress and the legislatures of three fourths of the states. In the Senate, a supermajority of 60% is required to end a debate on a bill. In recent years, the minority party has forced the senate to require a supermajority to pass almost all substantive legislation, contributing to political gridlock in Washington.

Tracking Poll

Tracking polls are more complex and involve polling at regular intervals to show a trend or level of support a candidate has over a period of time.

Swing voter

Unlike base voters, swing voters will not be loyal to a candidate just based off of party lines. A swing voter cares about the issues and could vote Republican or Democratic. These voters could be important to a campaign, because they can make or break meeting voter goals.

Ticket

Usually preceded by the name of a party, the "ticket" refers to the candidates running together. Candidates for the presidency and vice presidency run on the same "ticket."

Voter ID/Suppression

Voter ID is a controversial topic in recent years. Each state has a different policy on whether or not voter ID is necessary and what kind of ID will be accepted. Red states have increased requirements for voting or reduced voter rolls as a way to prevent groups that are not likely to have the proper ID (usually democratic-leaning groups like poor people, minorities and former convicts) from voting.

Virtue SIgnalling

We signal to our political tribes that we are good people by saying the right thing (whether or not we believe it) or re-tweeting the right thing or agreeing with a tribe member who seems to have more virtue. In all tribes, virtue signalling is a form of banishing free thinking and free speech. It is the way that tribes become cohesive.

Oppression Olympics

When groups that have either been discriminated against or ignored or who feel as if they have been discriminated against complain that the harms done to them by society or Washington outweigh the harms done to other groups or that a particular combination of identities makes them the most important victim of political oppression. People in all tribes play oppression olympics.

Balancing the ticket

When the presidential candidate chooses a vice-presidential candidate whose qualities balance out the nominee's perceived weaknesses. For example, in 2008, Barack Obama, seen as young and inexperienced, selected veteran Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.

Reagan Democrat

Working-class Democratic voter who defected from the party to vote for Republican candidate Ronald Reagan in the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections. The term is also used these days to denote moderate Democrats who are more conservative than other Democrats on issues such as national security or immigration.