Deck 9: Campaigns and Elections

Question 1

Taxpayer funds designated to help finance presidential campaigns,both in the primary season and in the general election,are referred to as __________.

A)hard money
B)soft money
C)campaign money
D)public money
E)private money

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Political-science models designed to predict electoral outcomes assume that people vote with a ___________ perspective.

A)reactive
B)retrospective
C)proactive
D)practical
E)future-oriented

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The first important audience for a political candidate running for national office is __________.

A)his or her family
B)the party
C)the American people
D)the state legislature
E)the media

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What 2012 election candidate was a surprise winner in the Iowa caucus?

A)Mitt Romney
B)Jon Huntsman
C)Herman Cain
D)Michele Bachman
E)Rick Santorum

Question 5

Reliably Republican states are called __________.

A)red states
B)blue states
C)conservative states
D)gray states
E)battleground states

Question 6

Democratic candidates generally count on the support of __________.

A)white Evangelical Christian voters
B)Tea Party activists
C)wealthy and suburban voters
D)African American voters
E)small town voters

Question 7

By tradition,what state holds the first caucus of the election year?

A)New Hampshire
B)Iowa
C)Ohio
D)New York
E)California

Question 8

In 1992,George H.W.Bush probably lost his bid for a second term because __________.

A)the global economy was not strong
B)his approval rating was rock bottom
C)the country was recovering from a recession,but slowly
D)the GDP was 3.4
E)he was the incumbent

Question 9

Bill Clinton's campaign in 1992 used which slogan?

A)"Forward."
B)"You've never had it so good."
C)"The buck stops here."
D)"It's the economy,stupid."
E)"A thousand points of light."

Question 10

The time in a campaign when a candidate begins raising funds and doing well in polls is called the __________.

A)preprimary
B)invisible election
C)invisible primary
D)shadow campaign
E)front-loading primary

Question 11

How much can an individual contribute to each national political party?

A)$2,500
B)$5,000
C)$20,000
D)$20,800
E)$30,800

Question 12

Which candidate's weaker than expected showing in the 1968 New Hampshire primary convinced him to drop out of the presidential race?

A)Lyndon Johnson
B)Eugene McCarthy
C)Richard Nixon
D)Robert Kennedy
E)Hubert Humphrey

Question 13

The Reform Party qualified for partial general election funding based on the performance of which candidate in 1992 and 1996?

A)John Anderson
B)Ron Paul
C)Mitt Romney
D)Ross Perot
E)John McCain

Question 14

The single most important issue to voters is __________.

A)the strength of the economy
B)the record of the party that currently holds Congress
C)whether an incumbent is running
D)the global economic climate
E)the approval ratings of the party that holds the White House

Question 15

The first nationally televised debate was between __________.

A)Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson
B)Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson
C)John Kennedy and Richard Nixon
D)Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater
E)Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey

Question 16

Which of the following states was penalized for moving its primary up in 2008?

A)New Hampshire
B)Ohio
C)Nevada
D)South Carolina
E)Florida

Question 17

What percentage of the primary vote does a Democratic candidate have to receive in order to be eligible to receive his or her share of delegates?

A)50 percent
B)40 percent
C)30 percent
D)15 percent
E)5 percent

Question 18

How many electoral votes does the District of Columbia have?

A)none,because it does not have representatives in the House or Senate
B)one,equal to its one House member
C)two,equal to its House and Senate members
D)three
E)five

Question 19

What Supreme Court decision declared unconstitutional the ban on corporations and unions' contributing money for "electioneering communications"?

A)Buckley v.Valeo
B)Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission
C)McCain v.Feingold
D)McConnell v.FCRA
E)Citizens v.Democratic National Committee

Question 20

In the 2008 election,neither Obama nor McCain bought any advertising at all in which states?

A)Ohio,Florida,and Pennsylvania
B)California,New York,and Texas
C)Wisconsin,Illinois,and Missouri
D)Washington,Arizona,and Colorado
E)Virginia,Connecticut,and Minnesota

Question 21

Based on the experiences of Rick Santorum after he won the Iowa caucus in 2013,a campaign manager should __________.

A)make sure his candidate has plenty of time for personal appearances in other primary states
B)get a pollster on the campaign as soon as possible
C)have his candidate make every effort to meet voters in caucus states
D)ensure that his candidate is on the ballot of all competitive districts and states
E)have negative advertising available to use as soon as possible after a primary win

Question 22

To qualify for matching funds,a candidate must __________.

A)agree not to accept money from PACs during the primary season
B)raise at least $2,500 in individual contributions in at least 10 states
C)petition his or her party for the funds
D)raise at least $5,000 in individual contributions of $250 or less in at least 20 states
E)receive at least 5 percent of the vote in two successive primaries

Question 23

In an electoral system that uses proportional representation,if there are 550 seats in parliament and a party wins 15 percent of the vote,how many seats does it get?

A)None,because seats are determined based on which party gets a majority.
B)It depends on how many districts the party won.
C)The party would get just over 80 seats.
D)The party would get just over 150 seats.
E)The party would get 250 seats.

Question 24

Money used by candidates for activities such as voter-registration drives is referred to as __________.

A)hard money
B)soft money
C)public money
D)campaign funds
E)special funds

Question 25

When presidential candidates ran in primaries prior to 1972,they did so in order to __________.

A)win votes for the nomination
B)demonstrate their appeal to party leaders
C)intimidate their opponent
D)practice their campaign strategies
E)gain electoral votes

Question 26

How much money was spent in the 2012 campaign on television advertising?

A)more than $10 million
B)between $50 and $100 million
C)more than $1 billion
D)around $1 trillion
E)between $2 and $3 trillion

Question 27

Assume that candidate A receives 35 percent of the vote.Candidate B receives 33 percent of the vote,whereas candidate C receives 32 percent of the vote.If the election is based on the plurality rule,then __________.

A)candidate A wins
B)there is a runoff election between candidates A and B
C)there is a runoff election between all three candidates (since they all received a substantial percentage of the vote)
D)there is a new election later in the year (since no one received a majority)
E)super-delegates decide the election

Question 28

Which traditionally Republican state became a competitive state in the 2008 election?

A)North Carolina
B)North Dakota
C)Ohio
D)California
E)New Hampshire

Question 29

When crafting a candidate's message,campaign managers often use __________.

A)focus groups
B)trial ads
C)Tweets and Facebook postings
D)billboards
E)the advice of political pundits

Question 30

One of the factors most likely to sharply influence election outcomes is __________.

A)campaign promises
B)events in the world sphere
C)Congressional approval ratings
D)presidential approval ratings
E)hot-button nationwide issues

Question 31

Based on political scientists' predictive models,if voters are generally pleased with the incumbent party and its president,they will likely __________.

A)vote according to their current view of Congress
B)support a candidate from the opposing party
C)elect not to vote,on the assumption the party candidate is assured of victory
D)weigh the current state of global politics before deciding who to vote for
E)support the party's candidate for president

Question 32

Why would it be important for a Democratic candidate to convince people such as Democratic governors and party leaders that he or she is the most electable candidate?

A)These leaders always generate good press for a candidate.
B)These leaders may become super-delegates.
C)Democratic governors are experienced at campaigning.
D)Democratic Party leaders can decide who gets the final nomination.
E)Democratic candidates need more reassurance from party leaders than Republican candidates.

Question 33

Which of the following may irrevocably change our understanding of the invisible primary?

A)the polarization of the American people
B)the growing interdependence of the world
C)the Internet
D)the global economy
E)the decrease in democracy

Question 34

In 2012,the total limit on hard-money contributions to a presidential campaign for both the primary and the general election is set to _________ per person.

A)$2,500
B)$5,000
C)$10,800
D)$20,000
E)$30,800

Question 35

Which of the following is one way that the Electoral College has changed since the Constitutional Convention proposed the system?

A)Selection of electors is now based on wisdom and experience.
B)The Electoral College now meets the day after the election to select the winner of the election.
C)Citizens now vote directly for the electors that will represent their state.
D)Selection of electors is based on service to the party,political contributions,and other demonstrations of party loyalty.
E)Electors do not necessarily vote for their party's candidate.

Question 36

Who participates in a caucus?

A)all eligible voters in a state
B)all registered voters in a state
C)registered members of both parties
D)registered members of the party that is selecting a candidate
E)members of the state government

Question 37

Candidates tend to focus their advertising efforts on __________.

A)blue states only
B)small town and rural regions
C)the states that are safe for their party
D)states expected to have very close elections
E)major cities in large states

Question 38

The first party nominee to refuse matching funds was __________.

A)George W.Bush in 2000
B)Al Gore in 2000
C)Mitt Romney in 2004
D)John Kerry in 2004
E)Barack Obama in 2008

Question 39

Which of the following is one element of a successful campaign?

A)a lengthy series of attack ads
B)alienating independents
C)voter turnout
D)appearances by the candidate on news shows
E)information in political blogs

Question 40

Until the early 1980s,the key to understanding the primary process was __________.

A)charisma
B)momentum
C)ideology
D)the economy
E)personality

Question 41

According to Table 9.1,which explores hard money contribution limits,which of the following contributors would be able to provide the most support for a candidate running for the Senate?

A)a national party
B)a PAC
C)a Super PAC
D)an individual
E)a corporation

Question 42

If a person chose to vote for Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election based primarily on the fact that during the previous four years unemployment had not gone down as promised,this is referred to as __________.

A)prospective voting
B)retaliatory voting
C)swing voting
D)retrospective voting
E)revisionist voting

Question 43

The first Super Tuesday primary was held in an attempt to __________.

A)increase states' influence over the nomination process
B)maximize efficiency
C)increase financial gains
D)maximize voter interest
E)minimize voting costs

Question 44

If you wanted to support a political party,which of the following contributions would give your party the most money?

A)a contribution to a party candidate's primary campaign
B)a contribution to a party candidate's general election campaign
C)a contribution to a political action committee associated with the party
D)a contribution to one of the party's super-delegates
E)a contribution to the party's national committee

Question 45

How do you think the Founding Fathers would feel about the primary system currently in place?

A)They would be very supportive of the current system.
B)They would consider it necessary owing to the size of the American population.
C)They would like it from a practical point of view.
D)They would be very skeptical of the current system.
E)They would be indifferent about it.

Question 46

If you were a wealthy individual and wanted to support a particular party and its candidate for office in an election year,and you contributed to the primary campaign,the election campaign,the national party,and a PAC that supports your candidate,how much would you have donated by the end of that year?

A)$5,000
B)$25,000
C)$35,000
D)$40,800
E)$50,000

Question 47

In 2004,President Bush's approval level had fallen to a dangerous level for an incumbent,but he still defeated John Kerry.This suggests that __________.

A)approval ratings don't matter all that much
B)voters simply could not see John Kerry as president
C)John Kerry had alienated important wings of his own party
D)George Bush was perceived as far more able
E)voters decided the Democratic party platform was too liberal

Question 48

If the gross domestic product (GDP)was 6.5 percent in the spring and summer of an election year,you could confidently expect that __________.

A)the incumbent party would lose the general election
B)the challenger would do better than expected
C)the incumbent party would win the general election
D)consumer confidence would be low
E)the GDP would fall immediately after the election

Question 49

Which of these factors is one reason that most candidates for the presidency in recent elections have declined public financing?

A)They have not met the necessary fund-raising hurdle.
B)They feel accepting public money shows poor organization.
C)They feel they can raise more money on their own.
D)They feel the spending limits on public money are fair and reasonable.
E)They enjoy fund-raising events.

Question 50

Considering the information given in the "Unresolved Debate: Do Presidential Campaigns Matter?" feature that campaigns do not matter,what should a candidate's most important appeal to voters be?

A)to undecided voters,who frequently switch parties at the last minute
B)to voters who are not sure the candidate is a credible option
C)to party leaders who can provide the necessary funds for the campaign
D)to highly political activists
E)to party loyalty,because Democrats vote for Democrats and Republicans vote for Republicans

Question 51

As a campaign manager,if your candidate was neck and neck with her opponent,you would make a special point of __________.

A)preparing negative ads to air in the last month of the campaign
B)preparing her very well for debates with her opponent
C)running polls on a daily basis
D)buying advertising in states that are reliably safe for your party
E)avoiding battleground states where campaigning can be especially intense

Question 52

If you were considering a run for office,which of the following could help your campaign enormously at relatively little cost?

A)hiring a top-notch campaign manager
B)hiring a consultant to conduct a nationwide poll to determine how your candidacy is perceived
C)setting up campaign offices in major cities throughout the country
D)setting up a Facebook account through which supporters could donate to your campaign
E)getting yourself on news programs such as Face the Nation

Question 53

The introduction to this chapter says that,attractive as Barack Obama was as a candidate,any Democrat would have fared as well as he did.This suggests that __________.

A)there were more Democratic voters than in any previous election
B)voters were willing to give a Democrat a try after eight years of Republican control of the White House
C)voters may have been voting against the Republican as much as for the Democrat
D)there were fewer Republican voters than in any previous election
E)the Republican candidate was far less qualified for the job than the Democratic candidate

Question 54

In a campaign in which many voters have not yet taken a strong position for or against a candidate,that candidate's most effective form of persuasion would be __________.

A)news stories on his or her website
B)Twitter feeds at frequent intervals
C)political blogs
D)well-crafted television ads
E)billboards

Question 55

Figure 9.2 shows which states were targeted for extensive advertising in the 2012 election.The pattern of targeted states indicates that __________.

A)states such as Texas and Illinois are reliably Republican and thus do not require a great deal of advertising
B)states such as Maine and Wisconsin are always going to vote Democrat and thus do not require a great deal of advertising
C)states shaded in blue receive a great deal of advertising
D)states such as Ohio and Florida are considered to be competitive and require a great deal of advertising
E)states such as Kentucky and West Virginia are borderline competitive and receive a great deal of advertising

Question 56

Your political group would like to take out a full-page advertisement in the local newspaper listing the reasons why you support a candidate.What is one thing you must avoid doing for this independent expenditure to be legal?

A)You must not mention the candidate's name.
B)You must not use union funds to pay for the ad.
C)You must not contact the candidate's campaign to make sure the wording of the ad is correct.
D)You must not run the ad more than a single day.
E)You must not try to get matching funds to help you pay for the ad.

Question 57

Your candidate,an incumbent,has an approval rating of 39.9 percent in the spring of the election year.From this information,what results would you expect in the November election?

A)Your candidate would probably win easily.
B)Your candidate would probably lose.
C)The opposing candidate would pick up more of the popular vote.
D)The opposing candidate would lose in the Electoral College.
E)Odds are neither candidate would win the required electoral votes.

Question 58

It would appear that if a person wanted to run for the presidency,the most important task he or she should undertake is to __________.

A)meet and greet the voters in his immediate neighborhood
B)arrange meetings with party leaders the year before beginning a campaign
C)run a poll to check if he or she has any name recognition nationwide
D)begin campaigning immediately,as soon as the year after the previous election
E)build up abundant resources through early fund-raising

Question 59

A campaign could consider itself effective if,at the time of the election,__________.

A)it had convinced Republicans to vote for a Republican candidate
B)its candidate had not been attacked too strongly by opponents
C)political pundits viewed the candidate favorably
D)the campaign still had plenty of money for last-minute ads
E)it had persuaded Democrats to vote for a Republican candidate

Question 60

If the goal is to have candidates who represent as broad a section of society as possible,it would be best to use a(n)__________.

A)closed primary
B)open primary
C)open caucus
D)proportional primary
E)modified closed primary

Question 61

The costs of political campaigns have increased significantly over the years.

Question 62

If as a candidate you wanted to prove you had wide support from voters regardless of party affiliation,you would make sure to campaign in states with closed primaries.

Question 63

Jimmy Carter's "You never had it so good" campaign message exactly fit the national mood and led to his reelection.

Question 64

As a campaign manager,you would put a premium on trying to convert voters who would normally support your candidate's opponent.

Question 65

If you were a wealthy and well-connected individual running for president,you would never want to turn down public money.

Question 66

In 1968,Hubert Humphrey became the Democratic candidate for the presidency even though he had not campaigned in any of the Democratic primaries.

Question 67

A successful campaign begins with achieving high turnout among the campaign's own loyal voters

Question 68

Invisible primary winners almost never go on to win their party's nomination.

Question 69

The __________ model is also referred to as the "reward/punishment" model.

Question 70

In a(n)__________ primary,registered voters who are not affiliated with either party can vote in either party's primary.

Question 71

Models used to predict election outcomes assume that voters are less interested in what candidates or their parties have done in the past than in what each candidate would do if elected.

Question 72

All Democratic primary delegates are allocated proportionally.

Question 73

__________ is political advertising in which messages are sent directly to potential voters in the form of mail or e-mail.

Question 74

In the 2008 election,John McCain raised far more money than Barack Obama did.

Question 75

Super-delegates can vote for whomever they want at the convention,but are expected to vote for the primary front-runner.

Question 76

When the economy is performing well,the party in power tends to win.

Question 77

Political scientists correctly predicted that George W.Bush would win the 2000 presidential election.

Question 78

One of the four factors that political scientists use to predict presidential election outcomes is whether an incumbent is running for reelection.

Question 79

In the presidential race,a successful candidate needs to accumulate a majority of __________,who are representatives of the voters.

Question 80

Campaigns deliver their messages to the widest audience using __________.