Deck 3: Going for It: Recruitment and Candidacy

Question 1

Which of the following is an example of a formal element of candidate recruitment?

A) residency requirements in the Constitution
B) personal ambition
C) public opinion shifting to favor legalizing same-sex marriage
D) personal wealth that can be used to pay for campaign expenses

Answer 1

A

Question 2

How old does an individual have to be to run for the House and the Senate?

A) 25 in the House, 25 in the Senate
B) 25 in the House, 30 in the Senate
C) 30 in the House, 25 in the Senate
D) 30 in the House, 30 in the Senate

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following groups tends to be overcounted in the Census?

A) homeless individuals
B) children
C) college students
D) immigrants

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is the basis of US House seat apportionment?

A) the number of citizens living in each state
B) the number of voting-age adults in each state
C) the number of people who actively vote in each state
D) the number of people living in each state, legally or illegally

Question 5

Which of these is an example of gerrymandering?

A) Districts are drawn to cover the same amount of geographic area, even if this means that population varies between districts.
B) A state designs districts to ensure that new candidates and incumbents have an equal chance at winning the election.
C) A district is drawn to be 95 percent Republican so that neighboring districts are more difficult for the Republican Party to win.
D) A Republican-leaning urban area is split up into multiple districts and combined with suburban areas that are majority Republican.

Question 6

Which of the following groups tends to be undercounted in the Census?

A) teachers
B) renters
C) homeowners
D) millionaires

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of "unintentional gerrymandering?"

A) Independent commissions prioritize compact districts.
B) Democrats tend to be packed into dense urban areas because of residential and geographic patterns.
C) Republicans are able to create safe districts through partisan gerrymandering when winning a majority of state-level offices.
D) The Senate contains many safe seats because of the way the Census is conducted.

Question 8

Which of the following rules has the Supreme Court applied to majority-minority districts?

A) States may not create majority-minority districts.
B) Majority-minority districts may not impact partisan outcomes.
C) Districts must be reasonably compact.
D) Districting must use race as a predominant factor.

Question 9

Which of the following individuals would be considered an amateur in a US House race?

A) a sitting state legislator
B) the mayor of a large city
C) a district attorney
D) a well-known TV host who covers politics

Question 10

Which of the following is a component of candidate quality?

A) an open seat (i.e., no incumbent)
B) fund-raising ability
C) invisibility
D) lack of a brand name

Question 11

Which of the following situations is an example of strategic retirement?

A) A member of the House retires in order to run for president.
B) A member of the House retires after a damaging scandal is revealed.
C) A Senator retires because of term limits.
D) A Supreme Court justice retires because of health problems.

Question 12

The primary, created in California, in which Democratic and Republican candidates are listed on the primary ballot with the top two vote-getters moving on to the general election is referred to as a ______.

A) open primary
B) jungle primary
C) closed primary
D) blanket primary

Question 13

Women are less likely than men to win races they enter.

Question 14

The Supreme Court's decisions on majority-minority districts have laid down clear and consistent rules and standards for states to follow.

Question 15

Most minority members of the House of Representatives are elected from majority-minority districts.

Question 16

Open seats tend to be the most competitive and thus are often the target of party strategists.

Question 17

Majority-minority districts are created to enhance the probability of minorities being elected to Congress.

Question 18

Men are more likely than women to see themselves as good candidates for political office, even when they have similar careers and experience.

Question 19

Political parties play a major role in candidate recruitment to the US House and Senate.

Question 20

The residency requirement means that members of Congress must have been born in the state they represent.

Question 21

Redistricting is a largely neutral, apolitical process that gives political parties little influence.

Question 22

The laws around nominating candidates for congressional office vary widely among states.

Question 23

Illegal immigrants are included in population counts that determine the number of House members apportioned to each state.

Question 24

Each major party is required to field a candidate for House and Senate in each district or state.

Question 25

The Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is acceptable under the Constitution.

Question 26

Independents and minor party candidates make up a substantial proportion of both the House and Senate.

Question 27

In a closed primary, candidates may only appear on the ballot after being explicitly approved by party leaders.

Question 28

Nominations for open-seat races are certain to feature contested primaries.

Question 29

Why do incumbents often face low-quality challengers?

Question 30

What is the difference between a closed primary and an open primary, and which do party leaders prefer?

Question 31

Why do political amateurs sometimes run for congressional office?

Question 32

How does an amateur's behavior differ from that of a professional in deciding which office to run for?

Question 33

What are the two major problems of redistricting, and how have they been solved (or not)?

Question 34

Is gerrymandering a major cause of polarization in Congress? Why or why not?

Question 35

Are majority-minority districts good or bad for minority representation in Congress?

Question 36

What are influence districts and why do some Democrats prefer them to majority-minority districts?

Question 37

What role do political parties play in congressional candidate recruitment?

Question 38

Why do congressional candidates typically choose to work through one of the two major parties?

Question 39

How do political scientists measure candidate quality?

Question 40

Select one of the Supreme Court cases on redistricting or voting rights mentioned in chapter 3. Outline the major arguments on each side of the case and the justifications used by Supreme Court justices in making their ruling. How has this case impacted congressional elections?

Question 41

Choose a House race from the most recent electoral cycle and explain how candidate recruitment played a role in the election. Were the candidates amateurs or professionals? Were party organizations an important factor, and if so, how?