1. Feb. 8, 2019 Congressional Elections and Incumbency Advantages
Campaigns & Elections
Objective: Be able to understand how US congressional elections work and the influence incumbency has on elections

2. Factors affecting outcomes of congressional elections
A. Incumbency: The greatest influence
“Permanent congress”- (Dicks, Dingell, Byrd)

3. Advantages of Incumbents:
Name
Franking Privilege: (Derek Kilmer mailer)
Staff
Pork barrel
Money
Patronage
Weak opponents
Gerrymandering (safe seats)

4. Factors affecting congressional elections…
B. Type of Election
Incumbent campaigns:
Open seat campaigns:
House or Senate
Midterm elections:
Lightning Rod
Coattail Effect
Older, whiter, more educatedpresidential

5. Factors affect…congressional elections
C. Media (Taliban Dan, Joni Ernst)
D. Issues
E. Technology:
F. Party affiliation

6. III. Incumbency advantages
Gerrymandering:
Reapportionment-10 years (
Boundaries redrawn
WA State:
Packing vs. Cracking
Effects of Gerrymandering:
“Safe” seats
Party in power STAYS
Strangely-shaped districts
Baker v. Carr, 1962-”one man, one vote”
Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964
Shaw v. Reno, 1993
Miller v. Johnson, 1995

7. Gerrymandering: Supreme Court
District linesequal population
District linescontiguous
Cannot dilute racial minority voting
“Communities of interest”