Deck 3: Getting Elected to Congress

Question 1

Theriault and Edwards argue that politics is about ideas. Many Americans do not believe that and instead argue that most people get into politics for prestige or power. While we now know that is not an accurate characterization, the point still stands that some people do get involved in politics for themselves. Is it inherently bad that some people are in it for the wrong reasons if they still help their constituents? If so, what can be done about it if their constituents continue to elect them? Do we need to amend the constitution?

Answer 1

no answer

Question 2

If we agree that most members arrive in Congress with predetermined attitudes towards whole range of policy questions, what role can constituent preferences have in shaping the actions of legislators?

Answer 2

no answer

Question 3

Was passing the seventeenth amendment a good idea? Should citizens directly elect their senators and House members? Why or why not?

Answer 3

no answer

Question 4

Given that some primary elections tend to elect more extreme candidates that go on to lose in their general election, should we return to the party-centered election system where party committees and bosses chose the nominees?

Question 5

Is there too much money in politics?
a. Why do most Americans not feel comforted to know that all transactions are reported online?
b. What about the fact that every election is more expensive than the last?
c. How can we restore confidence in elections if most people believe there is too much money in politics?

Question 6

Do you agree that money is a form of speech? Why or why not?
a. What would the implications be if the Supreme Court decided money was not a form of speech?

Question 7

What do you think is the main driver behind incumbency advantage?

Question 8

What can be done about the large drop in turnout from presidential to midterm elections, especially with regard to the midterm electorate being older, richer, whiter, and better-educated?

Question 9

What do Theriault and Edwards mean when they say, "politics is about ideas"? Be specific in defining what they mean and expand on their argument using supportive concepts about congressional elections and examples from throughout the material covered thus far.

Question 10

Compare and contrast the role of political parties in congressional elections during the early, party-centered, era and the modern day, candidate-centered, era. Be specific about the role of the parties, what duties they fulfilled or did not, and provide examples when necessary.

Question 11

How big of a role does recruitment play in a congressional election? Explain in what way it matters or why it does not matter. How can people be recruited to run for Congress and who tends to do the recruiting? Provide examples where possible.

Question 12

What factors in recent years have made it harder and harder for candidates to gather the resources necessary to run an effective congressional campaign? Be sure to explain how each factor has made it harder to raise money and provide examples where necessary.

Question 13

Trace the history of campaign finance laws in the United States. No need to list all provisions of every law but be sure to include the highlights and why the law was passed (if applicable). Along the way, address why it is so difficult to regulate campaign finance and what reason the Supreme Court consistently uses to strike down provisions of campaign finance laws.

Question 14

Name three things that you would consider before deciding to run for Congress.

Question 15

What two things does Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution do with relation to congressional elections?

Question 16

The U.S. has never had a parliamentary system of government, but at times it has operated as if seats in Congress were the private patronage of local party bosses. Name two similarities between the parliamentary system and congressional elections under party bosses.

Question 17

The unemployment rate, president's approval rating, and the number of casualties in a war are all examples of which factor of congressional elections?

Question 18

Which of the four factors of congressional elections matters least and why?

Question 19

It is said that the best candidate for almost any congressional race is the incumbent. List three reasons in support of this statement.

Question 20

Why do incumbents choose to retire?

Question 21

Which campaign finance law allowed for the transparency necessary to allow for the Watergate investigation? Name the law and two of its provisions.

Question 22

What are the two major provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?

Question 23

What is a quality challenger and why are they more likely to win than other challengers?

Question 24

Which factor of congressional elections is sometimes also known as the campaign?

A) Medium Term
B) Short-Term
C) Long-Term
D) None of the above

Question 25

Anyone who meets the constitutional requirements can run for Congress. Despite this, candidates with pedigree tend to have an easier time getting elected. Why might this be?

A) Americans prefer to elect people from wealthier families to Congress
B) They have the means to establish themselves in the early stages of a campaign
C) Once someone in your family has served in Congress anyone related to the member may send mail for free
D) Members of the media

Question 26

When incumbents choose to run for reelection how frequently do they win?

A) 90% of the time
B) 50% of the time
C) 75% of the time
D) None of the above

Question 27

What role does money play in a congressional campaign?

A) It allows the candidate to pay for the campaign and its staffers
B) It functions as a signal that a candidate is making a serious run
C) It can be used to pay people to vote for the candidate
D) Both a and b

Question 28

Where does most of the money for congressional elections come from?

A) Corporations
B) Political Parties
C) Individuals
D) Political Action Committees

Question 29

What do congressional candidates spend most of their campaign money on?

A) Communication
B) Travel
C) Fundraising
D) Staff salaries

Question 30

What pattern characterizes the regulation of campaign finance?

A) The Federal Election Commission passes a rule and the president vetoes it
B) Congress writes a law and the president vetoes it
C) The president imposes regulations by executive order and the Supreme Court overturns them
D) Congress writes a law and the Supreme Court overturns it

Question 31

If you were running a congressional campaign in 1955 where would you likely pull your volunteers from?

A) Retirees
B) Housewives
C) Workers in sectors congruent with your campaign platform
D) Both a and b

Question 32

Until this law was passed labor unions could directly contribute to political campaigns.

A) Corrupt Practices Act of 1925
B) Smith-Connally Act of 1943
C) Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
D) None of the above

Question 33

The first time spending limits were placed on congressional candidates was with the passage of which law?

A) Tillman Act of 1907
B) Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974
C) Corrupt Practices Act of 1925
D) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Question 34

Which law established the Federal Election Commission?

A) Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974
B) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
C) Corrupt Practices Act of 1925
D) None of the above

Question 35

Citizens United v. FEC (2009) led to provisions of which law being struck down by the Supreme Court?

A) Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974
B) Hatch Act of 1939
C) Smith-Connally Act of 1943
D) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Question 36

According to the U.S. Constitution as written in 1787, who has the privilege of voting in elections for the U.S. House?

A) White male landowners
B) The constitution let the House decide who can vote in its own elections
C) Any person born on U.S. soil
D) None of the above

Question 37

What does the Kasten Plan involve?

A) The strategic allocation of advertisements in districts that cross multiple cities
B) The assignment of a vote target for volunteers to reach that would allow for a district-wide victory
C) A rigorous door-to-door canvassing operation that is used to recruit additional campaign volunteers
D) A daily phone-banking plan that leads to increased voter turnout

Question 38

Primary elections tend to have what kind of effect on candidates?

A) Pulls candidates to the political center
B) Forces candidates to develop in-depth policy proposals
C) Pulls candidates to the ideological extremes
D) Allows candidates additional time to recruit volunteers

Question 39

The incumbency advantage is worth somewhere between 5 and 10 percentage points. It has been in decline since when?

A) 1960s
B) 1970s
C) 1980s
D) 1990s

Question 40

Which party are Americans increasingly identifying with?

A) Independent
B) Republican Party
C) Libertarian Party
D) Democratic Party

Question 41

What changes did the Progressive Era reforms bring to the American political system?

A) Increased the number of federal jobs given on the basis of party loyalty
B) The secret ballot
C) Opening up of the primary system
D) Both b and c

Question 42

The district's boundaries are an example of which factor of congressional elections?

A) Long-Term
B) Short-Term
C) Medium-Term
D) Fixed

Question 43

Two congressional candidates in the same district have claimed victory in a recent election. According to the Constitution, who resolves the dispute?

A) The state legislature
B) The Vice President
C) The U.S. House of Representatives
D) None of the above

Question 44

Which of the following citizens is most likely to vote in a congressional election?

A) Joseph Brockman, White, 18 years old, some high school education
B) Rex Gates, White, 65 years old, graduate degree
C) Juan Medina, Hispanic, 35 years old, high school education
D) Monica Sampson, Black, 53 years old, college degree

Question 45

Which of the following candidates has the best chance of challenging a member who is running for their third term representing the same district?

A) Ahmed King, a state delegate
B) Catherine Pillsbury, an industrialist and owner of the local factory
C) Chance Miller, a recent transplant to the district from the next county over
D) All of these candidates have an equal chance of winning

Question 46

Which of the following is the best definition of the career ceiling?

A) The stagnation of a member's power in the legislature
B) The member reaches their term limit
C) The recruitment of the member to run for higher office
D) Both a and c

Question 47

Soft money is known as what?

A) Money that is spent in coordination with a campaign, but not by the campaign itself
B) Money donated by labor unions or corporations
C) Money earned by a campaign by selling merchandise
D) Money that does not need to be reported to the Federal Elections Commission

Question 48

_______ elections do not have presidential contests.

A) Candidate-centered
B) Midterm
C) Midpoint
D) Tracking

Question 49

The path to Washington, D.C. for a U.S. senator has changed over time. Of the options listed below, which is one way that senators were selected?

A) A senator was selected by the state legislature
B) The president nominated someone and the Senate voted to confirm them
C) The people directly elected their senator
D) Both a and c

Question 50

The party-centered era of congressional elections tended to prioritize what type of candidate?

A) The most effective and experience legislator
B) The one who could raise the most money
C) The one who could win the general election
D) The one who could win the primary election

Question 51

The price tag to run for Congress has increased sharply over the years. Despite this, it is always cheaper to run for which position?

A) Senate
B) House of Representatives
C) Governor
D) President

Question 52

Regina Altman wants to run for her district's House seat. Her views are decidedly liberal and she believes that reducing inequality in society is more important than any other consideration in policy. Under which system would she be more successful?

A) Candidate-centered system
B) Jeffersonian system
C) President-centered system
D) Party-centered system

Question 53

Under the candidate-centered era of congressional elections parties still provided some services to candidates. Which of the following was NOT one of those services?

A) Staffers who were experts in a variety of areas
B) Access to organization who could provide volunteers
C) Selection of issues and production of campaign advertisements
D) Lists of potential campaign donors

Question 54

The media tends to cover which factor of congressional elections in the days leading up to the election?

A) Short-Term
B) Medium-Term
C) Long-Term
D) Fixed

Question 55

An open seat is best defined as a congressional race in which _____________.

A) No incumbent is running
B) A strong incumbent is defeated
C) More than four candidates compete in each of the parties' primaries
D) A quality challenger is running

Question 56

When political scientists refer to a typical congressional district, what are they referring to?

A) A district where about 60% of the constituents are members of one of the two political parties
B) A district where turnout is about 45% for both midterm and presidential elections
C) A district where most constituents identify as independents
D) There is no typical congressional district

Question 57

Over the years it has become more expensive to run for Congress, but which chamber has become more than 50% more expensive to run for?

A) Senate
B) House of Representatives
C) Both chambers
D) Neither chamber

Question 58

Nelson Tate is in charge of a large corporation and wants to make a direct contribution to a political campaign. In which year would it be legal for him to do so?

A) 1968
B) 1994
C) 1877
D) None of the above