Deck 14: Campaigns and Elections

Question 1

Each year, the first presidential primary, not caucus, in the United States is held in​

A) ​New Hampshire.
B) ​Iowa.
C) ​South Carolina.
D) ​Maine.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which figure comes closest to identifying the amount spent during the 2012 Obama and Romney presidential campaigns?​

A) ​$25 million
B) ​$500 million
C) ​$1 billion
D) ​$2 billion

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which statement best describes an open race in Congress?​

A) ​A sitting member of Congress is not running for reelection.
B) ​A sitting member of Congress is considering stepping down from office.
C) ​A sitting member of Congress does not have the support of the party.
D) ​A sitting member of Congress is fighting a political controversy.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is the invisible primary?​

A) ​The early voting that occurs after candidates have announced their candidacy
B) The time when candidates begin to secure endorsements and fundraising commitments
C) A set of secret meetings held across the country to decide how to attack the credibility of opposing candidates
D) ​A period of gracefully bowing out for candidates who have made the decision to abandon a potential candidacy

Question 5

An incumbent presidential election is one in which​

A) ​the sitting president runs for a second term.
B) ​a candidate has run for president in the past.
C) ​the opposition has served in the office of the presidency.
D) ​an electoral vote has been determined to be null and void.

Question 6

Often, governors who are considering a presidential run choose to make trips abroad primarily because​

A) ​they generally lack foreign policy credentials.
B) ​the funding from the state provides for such travel.
C) ​it is important to know how other governments work.
D) ​this is a requirement to run for office at such a high level.

Question 7

Who was the first presidential candidate to reject public funds for the general election campaign?​

A) ​Barack Obama
B) ​Jimmy Carter
C) ​Ronald Reagan
D) ​George Walker Bush

Question 8

Prior to the 2016 presidential campaign start, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Scott Walker, and John Kasich had all met with Sheldon Adelson because Adelson was a key​

A) ​potential donor.
B) lobbyist.
C) ​political advisor.
D) ​Democratic senator.

Question 9

Which president was discredited when it was learned that the president's reelection campaign had conducted an illegal break-in of the opposition party's headquarters?​

A) ​Gerald Ford
B) ​Lyndon Johnson
C) ​Richard Nixon
D) ​William Clinton

Question 10

Which of these states contains more than one House district?​

A) Alaska​
B) ​Delaware
C) ​Georgia
D) ​Montana

Question 11

The Seventeenth Amendment stated that U.S. senators were to be chosen by​

A) ​a direct election.
B) ​the state legislature.
C) ​the president.
D) ​a governor.

Question 12

How many U.S. senators represent each state?​

A) One
B) Two
C) ​Five
D) Ten

Question 13

Each individual state's number of electors in the Electoral College is equal to the state's​ total

A) number of precincts.
B) number of senators in the U.S. Senate.
C) ​number of state representatives.
D) ​representation in the U.S. Congress.

Question 14

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States, the selection of a vice presidential running mate was made by the​

A) ​presidential candidate.
B) ​political party.
C) ​primary voters.
D) ​presidential electors.

Question 15

Former senator Gary Hart's 1988 presidential bid was destroyed primarily by revelation of​

A) ​a criminal record.
B) ​an extramarital affair.
C) ​delinquent tax payments.
D) ​change in political parties.

Question 16

To assign delegates in presidential elections, Democrats use a system of pledged delegates, meaning that the delegates are assigned proportionally, based on​ the

A) population of the states.
B) number of votes anticipated.
C) results of caucuses and primaries.
D) ​congressional representation of the party.

Question 17

A faithless elector in the Electoral College is an elector who​

A) ​comes to the electoral voting position dishonestly.
B) ​leaves the Electoral College without placing a vote.
C) ​divulges voting confidences discussed in secret meetings.
D) ​fails to vote for the candidate to whom support has been pledged.

Question 18

​House seats are apportioned to the states based on​

A) income of the state​.
B) ​physical size of the state.
C) ethnic diversity of the state.​
D) ​population of the state.

Question 19

Which type of primary allows only registered party members to vote?​

A) ​Open primary
B) ​Semi-open primary
C) ​Semi-closed primary
D) ​Closed primary

Question 20

Which of the following is commonly referred to as a swing state?​

A) ​Florida
B) ​Illinois
C) ​Louisiana
D) ​Arizona

Question 21

Which statement about voter initiatives is not accurate?​

A) The effect of initiatives is stronger for congressional elections.​
B) ​Initiatives have a positive effect on voter turnout in both high and low elections.
C) ​It is clear that initiatives originated long before the beginning of the Progressive era.
D) ​There may be an overall decline in trust in government as voters are exposed to more popular initiatives.

Question 22

What are the two major groups of referenda?​

A) Congressional and local
B) ​General and specific
C) ​Executive and judicial
D) ​Popular and legislative

Question 23

The term vanishing marginals refers to the​

A) ​difficulty of finding committed voters in congressional races.
B) ​serious nature of extended congressional campaigning.
C) ​impact of lobbyists on the congressional election cycle.
D) ​increasing security of incumbent congressional seats.

Question 24

Which statement about the effect of voter age on today's political orientation is generally true?​

A) ​Younger voters tend toward the more conservative end of the spectrum.
B) ​Older voters are more supportive of the Democratic Party.
C) Younger voters express more tolerance regarding social issues.​
D) ​Older voters support a more activist government.

Question 25

​Which statement exemplifies the symbiotic relationship that develops between the candidates and the media during the course of a campaign?

A) ​The media is looking for stories, and listeners want to hear the news.
B) ​The candidates need coverage, and the media needs content.
C) The media likes attention, and so do the candidates.​
D) ​The candidates want to look good, and the media helps.

Question 26

Which group of voters was most affected by passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment?​

A) ​Southern Democrats
B) Eighteen- to twenty-one-year-olds
C) ​Women
D) African Americans

Question 27

How often are congressional districts redrawn to reflect population changes?​

A) Every two years
B) ​Every five years
C) ​Every eight years
D) ​Every ten years

Question 28

When a voter chooses a candidate based on political party, the voter is practicing​

A) ​affinity voting.
B) ​foundation voting.
C) ​suggestible voting.
D) ​policy orientation voting.

Question 29

Super PACs are primarily associated with​

A) ​local coalitions.
B) ​volunteer organizations.
C) ​financial support.
D) ​congressional committees.

Question 30

Which figure most closely represents the average amount raised in a day by winning House candidates in 2012?​

A) $230
B) ​$530
C) $2,300
D) ​$20,500

Question 31

Scholars have traditionally viewed party identification as a preference that develops​

A) ​in childhood.
B) ​after extensive research.
C) in adulthood.​
D) ​through particpation in political events.

Question 32

Responsibility for redrawing congressional districts generally lies with​

A) ​the president.
B) ​U.S. senators.
C) ​state legislatures.
D) U.S. representatives.​

Question 33

A short description intended to adequately summarize the purpose of a campaign is

A) an elevator pitch.​
B) ​a report category.
C) ​a referendum speech.
D) ​an assignment inquiry.

Question 34

Which of the following accurately identifies a political change that occurred after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?​

A) ​The South became primarily Democratic.
B) ​White Southerners began to vote for Republicans.
C) ​African Americans began to support Republicans.
D) ​There was equal backing for Republicans and Democrats among African Americans and whites.

Question 35

Based on Douglas Arnold's research, which of the following is able to best provide coverage of individual members of the U.S. Congress?​

A) ​National media outlets
B) Political bloggers
C) ​Local media outlets
D) ​Internal congressional writers

Question 36

When news organizations combine their resources to collect and share the news, this is called

A) ​journalistic cooperation.
B) ​media framing.
C) a ​broadcast cache.
D) a press pool.

Question 37

In gerrymandering, congressional districts are drawn​

A) to reflect diverse representation.​
B) ​with participation of nonvoters.
C) to please local lobbyists.
D) for the purpose of partisan gain.​

Question 38

​During political campaigns, game changer developments are often reported. Evidence indicates that the general effect of game changer developments on the outcome of the presidential election is

A) ​minimal.
B) ​considerable.
C) ​critical.
D) ​substantial.

Question 39

A person of which age would be categorized as a member of the silent generation?​

A) Twenty years old
B) ​Forty years old
C) ​Sixty years old
D) ​Eighty years old

Question 40

Who received the bulk of the Democratic Party establishment endorsements at the beginning of the 2008 primary election season?​

A) ​Ted Kennedy
B) ​Barack Obama
C) ​Hillary Clinton
D) ​John Edwards

Question 41

What famous misstep did Congressman Anthony Weiner make on Twitter?​

A) ​He tweeted inappropriate photos of himself.
B) ​He live tweeted a secret trip to Afghanistan.
C) ​He tweeted campaign finance information.
D) ​He live tweeted details about an upcoming vote.

Question 42

Which of the following best describes the tone of the overwhelming majority of political campaign ads?​

A) Positive
B) Neutral
C) ​Negative
D) ​Beneficial

Question 43

Which of the following best identifies the states that are most heavily targeted by campaign advertising?​

A) Southern states
B) Primary states
C) ​Northern states
D) ​Swing states

Question 44

When strategists use algorithms, voting patterns, and consumer data to find particular voters likely to vote for a party, the strategists' actions can best be identified as​

A) ​polling.
B) ​microtargeting.
C) ​identifying with a party.
D) ​exercising media platforms.

Question 45

Whose campaign collaborated with FourthWall Media, a data company, to obtain anonymous television data for individual households?​

A) ​Barack Obama
B) ​Mitt Romney
C) ​Bill Clinton
D) ​George Walker Bush

Question 46

In 2008, what was the average contribution to the Blue State Digital site My.Barackobama.com?​

A) ​$5
B) ​$10
C) ​$80
D) ​$125

Question 47

Who was the first political candidate to raise $1 million online in a 24-hour period?​

A) ​Bill Bradley
B) ​Hillary Clinton
C) ​John McCain
D) ​Barack Obama

Question 48

Which figure is closest to the amount spent by political campaigns on TV ads during the 2008 presidential election season?​

A) ​$100 million
B) ​$200 million
C) ​$400 million
D) ​$600 million

Question 49

Which of the following is not one of the main functions served by the media in covering the news?​

A) ​Priming
B) Identifying sources
C) Framing
D) Setting the agenda

Question 50

About how many participants did presidential candidate Howard Dean have on meetup.com, which he used for fundraising and organization of volunteers?​

A) ​6,000
B) 74,000
C) ​143,000
D) ​287,000