Political Terms and Concepts

Watchdog

• The press' job to keep an eye on the gov't or an industry.

• A type of animal that monitors its territory.

• A government agency that oversees public safety.

• A term for a person who is overly critical of others.

Political action committees (PAC)

• Groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports.

• Organizations that lobby government officials to influence legislation.

• Entities that conduct research on political issues and provide analysis to the public.

• Coalitions of voters who come together to support a specific political party.

Horse-race journalism

• Focuses on the issues and policies of political leaders.

• Emphasizes the personal lives of political candidates.

• Focuses more on which political leaders are ahead in the polls than on the issues and can lead to the Bandwagon Effect.

• Analyzes the historical context of political campaigns.

Pundit

• A learned person; one who gives authoritative opinions.

• A novice in a particular field.

• A person who avoids making decisions.

• An individual who is always wrong.

Redistricting

• Redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature.

• A process of voting to elect representatives in a state.

• The method of allocating seats in the legislature based on population.

• A strategy used by political parties to influence voter turnout.

Primary election

• A type of election where voters directly select their candidates for the general election.

• An election held to choose the president of the country.

• A voting process to decide on local government issues.

• A referendum on proposed changes to the constitution.

Open primary

• A primary election where only registered party members can vote.

• A primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote.

• A primary election that is held only in certain states.

• A primary election that requires voters to declare their party affiliation before voting.

Incumbent advantage phenomenon

• The ability to use all the tools of the office to support candidacy for a second term.

• A strategy used by challengers to undermine the incumbent's reputation.

• A phenomenon where incumbents lose elections despite having advantages.

• The practice of incumbents avoiding debates to maintain their lead.

Super PACs

• A type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.

• A government agency that regulates campaign financing and political donations.

• A type of political committee that can only raise funds from individual donors and not from corporations or unions.

• A local grassroots organization that supports community initiatives and candidates.

Federal Election Commission

• Administers and enforces campaign finance laws.

• Regulates international trade agreements.

• Oversees the Federal Reserve System.

• Manages national parks and wildlife reserves.