This occurs when a group of people who used to vote for one party now vote for another

An election that demonstrates a sharp change in who people vote for; often leading to a party realignment

This is the first step in the process to win the presidency

This is a representative at the national convention that is not tied to a particular state; is often a powerful figure in the political party

This is the idea that whoever wins the MOST votes in an election (even if it's not a majority), wins that position

This often leads to gridlock in government

What is the idea that candidates who win an election are bound to carry out their campaign promises?

This is a type of primary election where you do not have to be registered to a particular party to vote for a primary candidate

During this stage of the presidential election, there is one candidate from each major party fighting to win the votes of voters.

You determine the number of votes your state gets for this by combining the total number of your House Representatives + Senators.

This process occurs every 10 years after the census to determine how many representatives each state will have in the House of Reps.

This is the election that occurs 2 years after a president was elected; it is often used as a measuring stick to gauge how the public views the work of the current adminstration

The purpose of this organize is to regulate campaign finance

This type of organization can raise & spend unlimited $$ to support a campaign, as long as they don't directly coordinate with the campaign.

This court case established the idea that spending money is equivalent to free speech, therefore allowing unlimited spending by SuperPACs

This is a type of interest group that is fighting for an issue that benefits everyone in society, not just its members

This theory of interest groups believes that there are too many interest groups asking the gov to do things, that nothing ends up getting done

This group of political players is comprised of an Interest Group, Congressional Committee, and a Bureaucratic Agency

This is a person advocating for the interests of their interest group to members of government that can help them achieve their goals

One way an interest group might influence the political process is by writing one of these to express support for a particular interest in a court case.

This is the idea that interest groups use their money and expertise to influence the outcome of an election

The media can help set the political agenda by the way in which is ____ an issue

When a media source acts as a ____, they are conducting investigative journalism

Because TV news often presents a news story in 60 second (or less) segments, politicians often pare their speeches down so that media can grab _____ easier.

When an interest groups achieves a goal that benefits everyone in society, not just its members, this is called a:

Which of these is not typically an advantage of incumbents