Incumbency Advantage During the Election Period
Incumbency advantage can refer to certain benefits that current members possess when considering re-election. The central notion of incumbency advantage is the ability to be re-elected and serve longer. This part of the essay will specifically consider the main advantages of incumbency during elections. Usually, it works from several basic principles, such as identity and support.
The Impact of Name Recognition on Re-Election
First, the recognition of names by voters plays a significant role in re-election. Usually, people tend to have more information on current members and their experience than on the new, challenging candidates. This is because most voters do not intentionally search for information about candidates and vote for whose name sounds more familiar. Peskowitz (2019) argues that voters have different information on the ideological location of a candidate compared with its real value in office. It means that re-electing Republican members does not guarantee his right-wing ideological beliefs.
The Role of Familiarity and Legislative Actions in Incumbent Success
Incumbents tend to use their position and experience in voting campaigns. Druckman et al. (2019) argue that incumbents focus on their position, such as familiarity with voters and the action they took for the district they were elected to. Voters on such occasions rely on this information when making decisions, which puts new challengers at an extreme disadvantage.
Overall, Druckman also argues that the whole campaign mechanism has the incumbency advantage in its foundation (2019). However, it can be argued that some Congress members can gain the loyalty of their voters through successful work done in the previous term. The work can be in the form of support for local projects, the provision of help to federal agencies, and funding for district-oriented programs. These services of incumbents make them more desirable than new candidates.
Incumbents’ Fundraising Advantage Through Established Donor Networks
Furthermore, incumbents exercise better opportunities to receive funds since they already have their previous donor networks with which to work. New candidates usually face challenges finding support from lobby groups or parties to receive the necessary support. Comparatively, campaign funds were not a typical issue for re-election participants. With better party support and campaign funds, incumbents have a larger spectrum of tools during the election period. One of them is the influence of media. Here, incumbents can have more considerable media attention through party connections and better representation in case their previous work at Congress succeeded.
The Strength of Incumbency During Periods of Political Change
Further sentiment towards incumbency advantage is shown through polarization and nationalization issues. Carson et al. (2019) argue that the advantage of incumbency was more present during profound political changes, such as high levels of nationalization. They argue that institutional features can also affect the size of incumbency advantage. For example, single-member districts will always have an advantage over the previous member or candidate over the new candidate, creating competition. It is vital to review the possible effect of specific institutions and norms on this issue and ways of mitigating it.
Gerrymandering During the Election Period
Gerrymandering and the Creation of Safe Seats for Incumbents
Gerrymandering is usually regarded as redrawing electoral district boundaries to benefit certain parties. This practice is widely used within the US electoral period, and its effect is undeniable in terms of more extended positions in Congress. Usually, gerrymandering allows the creation of heavily one-party-sided districts, which results in a sort of safe seat for incumbents. Usually, these members can face little or no competition for a given position in exchange for promoting party or lobby group interests in Congress.
On the other hand, gerrymandering can also be used to concentrate opposition voters in a few districts. It allows seats to be won within other districts but disturbs the proportionate distribution. Due to these issues, voters in non-competitive districts have fewer initiatives to participate in voting, solidifying the chances of winning.
The Influence of Gerrymandering on Political Priorities and Election Integrity
Sometimes, gerrymandering leads to a situation in which incumbents are more concerned with party needs or requirements of lobby groups than with general election procedure. In such districts, the representativeness of social groups is radically low compared with the influence of other external forces. Furthermore, gerrymandering can serve only one party, either Republican or Democrat.
Cervas and Grofman argue that the 2011 electoral map was highly pro-Republican, leaving no advantage for Democrats. They refer to this situation as a stealth gerrymander. At the same time, they argue that the 2018 map does not have specific characteristics of one-sided gerrymandering. This difference in representation also has a high influence on election results for certain districts.
Summary
The benefits of being in office longer and the act of gerrymandering frequently combine to provide a formidable obstacle for opponents and extend the terms of office for many members of Congress. There is a high percentage of re-election for current members due to a mix of name recognition, financial resources, and advantageous district borders, making it difficult for fresh candidates to upset incumbents.
Systematic faults also cause it in an electoral framework that politicians are unwilling to change. Still, these concepts and their influence are a subject of discussion since modern research reveals conflicting results. Cottrell (2019) argues that gerrymandering has only a minor effect on election results in average districts, and at the same time, it creates safe seats, as discussed above. The effect of incumbency advantage is undeniable, too, but its mitigation and impact size should be thoroughly researched.
References
Carson, J. L., Sievert, J., & Williamson, R. D. (2020). Nationalization and the incumbency advantage. Political Research Quarterly, 73(1), 156-168. Web.
Cervas, J. R., & Grofman, B. (2020). Tools for identifying partisan gerrymandering with an application to congressional districting in Pennsylvania. Political Geography, 76. Web.
Cottrell, D. (2019). Using computer simulations to measure the effect of gerrymandering on electoral competition in the US Congress. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 44(3), 487-514. Web.
Druckman, J. N., Kifer, M. J., & Parkin, M. (2020). Campaign rhetoric and the incumbency advantage. American Politics Research, 48(1), 22-43. Web.
Peskowitz, Z. (2019). Ideological signalling and incumbency advantage. British Journal of Political Science, 49(2), 467-490. Web.