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| a politician's ear; "access" to more influence to politicians |
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| a person who can be portrayed as sufficiently qualified and trustworthy for the job |
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| Spending by the Democratic and Republican Party committees on behalf of individual congressional candidates |
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| Campaign Spending-by a person or organization for or against a political candidate- that is not controlled by or coordinated with any candidate' campaign |
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| Voting for candidates based on their positions on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personnel characteristics |
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| In a political campaign, the central thematic statement of why voters ought to prefer one candidate over others |
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| Also known as, "getting out the vote." Mobilization occurs when activists working for parties, candidates, or interest groups ask members of the electorate to vote |
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| The act of attacking an opposing candidate's platform, past political performance, or personal characteristics |
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| A seat in a state or district being contested by candidates, none of whom none currently holds the office. Congressional seats become "open" when the incumbent dies or does not run reelection. |
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| An individual's enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties; the most accurate single predictor of voting behavior |
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| A label carrying the party's "brand name," incorporating the policy positions and past performance voters attributes to it. |
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| Basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office |
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| People who base their votes on candidates' or parties' positions on one particular issue or public policy, regardless of the candidates' or parties' positions on other issues |
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| Money used by political parties for voter registration, public education, and voter mobilization. Until 2002, when Congress passed legislation outlawing soft money, the government had imposed no limits on contributions or expenditures for such purposes |
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| A ballot prepared and distributed by government officials that places the names of all candidates on a single list and is filled out by voters in private. First adopted in the United States in 1888, the Australian ballot replaced oral voting and party-supplied ballots. |
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| A closed meeting of a political or legislative group to choose candidates for office or to decide issues of policy |
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| A term used to describe government when one political party controls the executive branch and the other political party controls one or both houses of the legislature |
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| Slates of candidates that "fused" the nominees of minor and major parties. Fusion tickets, eventually banned by state legislatures, allowed minor parties to boost their votes by nominating candidates also nominated by major parties |
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| national party convention |
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| A gathering of delegates to select a party's presidential or vice presidential ticket and to adopt its national platform |
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| An electoral alliance that was the basis of Democratic dominance from the 1930's to the early 1970s. The alliance consisted of Catholics, Jews, racial minorities, urban residents, organized labor, and white southerners |
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| State or local party organizations based on patronage. the work to elect candidates to public offices that control government jobs and contracts, which, in turn, are used by party leaders (often denigrated as "bosses") to reward the subleaders and activists who mobilize voters for the party or election day |
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| The practice of rewarding jobs, grants, licenses, or other special favors in exchange for political support |
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| A coalition of people who seek to control the machinery of government by winning elections. Not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, political parties make mass democracy possible by, among other functions, coordinating the group activities necessary to translate public preferences into public policy |
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| An election held before the general election in which voters decide which of a party's candidates will be the party's nominee for the general election |
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| A period of American History extending roughly from 1880 to 1920 and associated with the reform of government and electoral institutions in an attempt to reduce corruption and weaken parties |
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| Proportional Representation |
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| An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion to the percentage of votes received |
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| The act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices- for example, voting for a Republican for president and a Democrat for Senator |
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| A delegate to the democratic national convention who is eligible to attend because he or she is an elected party official. The Democrats reserve a specific set of delegate slots for party officials |
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| A political system in which only two major parties compete for all of the elective offices. Third-party candidates usually have few, if any, chances of winning elective party. |
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| Lobbying conducted by rank-and-file members of an interest group |
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| Interest group activity that includes normal lobbying on Capitol Hill, working closely with members of Congress, and contributing money to incumbents' campaigns. Contrasts with outsider tactics |
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| Organized groups of people seeking to influence public policy |
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| Activities through which individuals, interest groups, and other institutions seek to influence public policy by persuading government officials to support their groups' position |
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| Professionals who work to influence public policy by persuading government officials to support their groups' position |
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| The personal satisfactions of active self-expression through contribution or other involvement to social causes |
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| Outsider/indirect tactics |
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| Interest group activities designed to influence elected officials by threatening to impose political costs on them if they do not respond. Tactics include marches, demonstration, campaign contributions to opponents, and electoral mobilization |
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| Political Paralysis in the face of pressing national problems |
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| A group that promotes some conception of the public interest rather than the narrowly defined economic or other special interests of its members |
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| Private goods or benefits that induce rational actors to participate in a collective effort to provide a collective good |
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| Amorphous aggregates of people sharing general values and a desire for social change |
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