Strange Bedfellows

Straight ticket voting allows voters to choose every candidate on a single party’s slate by making just one ballot mark.

Over the years, many states …

The “coattail effect” is a phenomenon whereby a political candidate or leader’s popularity leads to improved vote totals for fellow party candidates further down the …

“Fence mending” means making an effort to repair a political relationship after it has been damaged.

This practice is often engaged in by politicians who …

The “power behind the throne” is said to be someone who does not hold an official leadership position but who effectively wields control.

The phrase …

Hideaways are personal, unmarked offices in the Capitol originally assigned to senior senators. They are often conveniently located near the Senate floor.

The hideaway location …

The “Acela corridor” refers to the Northeast megalopolis that stretches roughly from Washington, D.C., through New York City, to Boston.

Named after Amtrak’s high-speed Acela …

The “Bradley effect” is a polling phenomenon involving high support for non-white and non-female candidates in opinion polls not reflected by election results.…

A split ticket is when a voter chooses candidates from different political parties in the same election.

This practice reflects an individual’s willingness to evaluate …

The Committee of the Whole is a procedural device used to expedite debates in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives uses this …

A blanket primary is a primary election whereby each voter can select one candidate per office regardless of party.

This primary is different from open …

To be on the “bandwagon” is to follow a group that has a large and growing number of followers.

A bandwagon is literally a wagon …

The phrase “off the reservation” is used to describe someone who deviates from the expected or orthodox position, particularly within a political party or ideological …

A glad-hander is a highly extroverted person who makes a point of acting friendly in an over-the-top way.

However, in politics the term glad-hander connotes …

A “stemwinder” is a rousing political speech that galvanizes a crowd to take action.

It’s a speech that is able to capture the attention and …

A “Grand Bargain” refers to a broad, bipartisan agreement that aims to resolve complex and often contentious issues through significant concessions from both sides of …

An “open primary” is an election that allows voters to select candidates on one party’s ballot without declaring their own party affiliation.

Open …

A “recall election” allows voters to oust an elected official, by means of a direct vote,while that official is still  in the middle …

A “straw man” refers to an intentionally misrepresented proposition or argument that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real …

A “Farley file” is a log kept by politicians on the people they have met previously.

It’s named for James A. Farley, who was …

The act of spreading negative rumors about a political candidate, in order to discredit him or her in the eyes of voters. This can also …

Earmarks are funds that are allocated to a specific program, project or for a designated purpose, or that direct specific exemptions from taxes or mandated …

Petitioning is a phase in a campaign where organizers collect signatures from eligible voters to achieve a specific political objective.

This objective can vary widely, …

A junket is a trip taken by a politicians with expenses paid for with public funds.

Junkets are a common practice in politics, and are …

An exit poll is a survey of voters taken immediately as they leave the polling place in which they are asked which candidate they chose.…

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable to visit the official polling place on Election Day.

This type …

Morning business is routine business that is supposed to occur during the first two hours of a new legislative day in the U.S. Senate.

This …

The term “Democrat Party” is often employed by Republican critics as a slight against the Democratic Party.

The proper name is the Democratic Party, and …

A recess appointment is a presidential appointment typically requiring Senate approval that is made during a Senate recess.

To be confirmed, the appointment must be …

Named for their opening salutation, a “Dear Colleague letter” is an official communication distributed in bulk by a lawmaker to all members of Congress.

They …

“Cracking” refers to the gerrymandering practice of spreading voters of a particular group or party across multiple electoral districts in order to dilute their voting …

“Packing” refers to the strategic manipulation of electoral district boundaries to concentrate as many voters of one party as possible into a single district.

The …

Broadly, a mandate is the authority that voters confer on an elected official to act as their representative.

Usually, though, a political mandate refers to …

The term “permanent campaign” was first coined by Sidney Blumenthal in his 1980 book, The Permanent Campaign.

The book explained how the breakdown in …

Cats and dogs are are leftover “stray” bills on minor subjects saved for days when the House or Senate have light floor schedules.

It is …

The phrase “misheard the question” is often invoked as a means of damage control when a politician gives an answer that generates negative attention or …

A “convention bounce” refers to the surge of support a presidential candidates may enjoy after the televised national convention of their party.

The size and …

“Power corrupts” refers to the statement made by the 19th century British historian Lord Acton who declared that “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power …

The Copperheads were Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted a peace settlement with the Confederates.

Republicans started calling them Copperheads, likening them …

The Electoral College is a constitutionally mandated process that determines who serves as president and vice president of the United States every four years.

It …