1. Congressional Elections

2. Incumbency Factor
Individuals who already hold office usually win reelection
Especially in House (over 90%)
Senate somewhat more competitive
States more diverse than districts
More media coverage
More visible challengers
2012: 90 percent of House members and 91 percent of senators
For senators, this year’s re-election percentage was the highest since 2004.

3. Incumbency factor in congressional elections

4. Advantages of Incumbency
Advertising
Visibility with constituents
Name recognition!
Credit Claiming
Service to constituents
Casework = helping individuals
Pork barrel = federal projects, grants, contracts
Position Taking
Weak Opponents
Campaign Spending
More important for challengers
Incumbents still outspend them

5. Redistricting Redrawing congressional districts, to show:
Increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states
Population shifts within a state.
Reapportionment is a new allotment
Especially new distribution of US and state congressional seats on the basis of census results
Required for all legislative bodies after each census
National, state, local
According to U.S. Constitution + state constitutions
Majority party controls redistricting

7. Gerrymandering
Redrawing legislative districts to assure maximum representation for a political party
Majority party in statehouse
Named for MA Governor Elbridge Gerry
1811: helped to ensure the election of two Democratic senators by creating a new political district
The term and political cartoon = combination of salamander shape of the district + his name.

8. Supreme Court & Gerrymandering
1964: Wesberry v. Sanders
Supreme Court outlawed gerrymandering and established the “one man, one vote” principle.
Court also upheld Voting Rights Act of 1965:
Interpreted to mean that purposeful gerrymandering of a congressional district to dilute minority strength is illegal

9. Does gerrymandering still occur?
Questions to consider:
Why would North Carolina draw a district in this shape?
Which party do you think was in control of the North Carolina legislature in 1990?
Is this “packing” or “cracking”?
What are the consequences of “gerrymandering”?
North Carolina 12th District (1990)
Eligible voters: 412,000
Black: 53.3%
White: 46.7%

11. Read “Justices Affirm GOP Map For Texas” & answer in writing:
Why was there a lawsuit over the Texas redistricting plan?
What did the Supreme Court decide about the plan?
Explain “…the gift that the Supreme Court and Tom DeLay have given us.”
How did Texas Democrats try to block the GOP’s plan?
How did the redistricting affect Tom DeLay’s career?
What were the Supreme Court justices’ arguments for and against the redistricting plan?