Campaign Terms
More Campaign Terms
More Campaign Terms
More Campaign Terms
Media Terms
100
A statewide primary election of delegates to a political party's national convention, held to determine a party's presidential nominee.
What is Presidential Primary
100
A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.
What is a focus group.
100
Advertising paid for by inerest groups that support or oppose a candidate or a candidate's position on an issue without mentioning voting for elections.
What is issue advocacy advertising.
100
A primary in which any registered voter can vote (but must vote for candidates of only one party).
What is an open primary.
100
Information generated and distributed by the government in such a way as to give government interests priority over candor.
What is managed news.
200
A meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies.
What is a caucus.
200
A series of acts passed by Congress in an attempt to limit and regulate the size and sources of contributions and expenditures in political campaigns.
What is the Corrupt Practices Act.
200
Nonregulated contributions from PACs, organizations, and individuals. The funds may be spent on advertising or other campaign activities so long as those expenditures are not coordinated with those of a candidate.
What are independent expenditures.
200
The practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign to maximize the impact of these primaries on the nomination.
What is front-loading.
200
A term for sensationalistic, irresponsible journalism.
What is Yellow Journalism.
300
natural born citizen, thirty-five years of age, resident for fourteen years
What are the requirements to become President.
300
An act passed in 1939 that restricted the political activities of government employees. It also prohibited a political group from spending more than $3 million in any campaign and limited individual contributions to a campaign committee to $5,000.
What is the Hatch Act.
300
This landmark Supreme Court decision overturned most of the 2002 Campaign Finance regulations.
What is the Citizens United case.
300
A member of the electoral college, which selects the president and vice president. Each state's electors are chosen in each presidential election year accordign to state laws.
What is an elector.
300
Broadcasting that is targeted to one small sector of the population.
What is narrowcasting.
400
A paid professional hired to devise a campaign strategy and manage a campaign.
What is a political consultant.
400
A committee set up by and representing a corporation, labor union, or special interest group. PACs raise and give campaign donations.
What is a PAC Political Action Committee.
400
A party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the party's national convention. Superdelegates are not elected at the state level.
What is a superdelegate.
400
The influence of a popular candidate on the electoral success of other candidates on teh same party ticket. The effect is increased by teh party-column ballot, which encourages straight-ticket voting.
What is the coattail effect.
400
A brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts.
What is a sound bite.
500
A poll taken for the candidate on a nearly daily basis as election day approaches.
What is a tracking poll.
500
Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activies.
What is soft money.
500
A type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party of which he or she is a member.
What is a closed primary.
500
An effect produced when people purposely and rationally decide not to become informed on an issue because thye believe that their vote on teh issue is not likely to be a deciding one; a lack of incentive to seek the necessary information to cast an intelligent vote.
What is the rational ignorance effect.
500
An interpretation of campaign events or election results that is favorable to the candidate's campaign strategy.
What is spin.
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