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A “spoiler” is a candidate who has no chance of winning, but whose candidacy still impacts the outcome of the election.

Godwin’s Law is a term first promulgated in 1990 by author and lawyer Mike Godwin.

A “heck of a job” is a complete and total screw-up.

A “slush fund” is an unregulated store of money which is often used for illicit or illegal purposes.

An annual picnic in Fancy Farm, Kentucky that has come to represent the traditional starting point of the fall campaign season in Kentucky.

A “kangaroo ticket” is a ticket for higher office in which the person at the bottom of the ticket is considered more electable or is more well-known than the person…

A “shadow cabinet” is formed when the opposition party in a parliamentary system appoints members to serve in each of the cabinet-level positions — even though the members have no…

A “Senate hold” is how a U.S. senator informally signals his objection to a bill or presidential nomination.

“Bunk” is empty or nonsense talk.

“Arsenal of democracy” is a term that was first coined by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a radio address to the nation on December 29, 1940.

A patriot is a person who loves, supports, and defends one’s country.

Blue-slipping is a term that originates from the United States Congress and refers to a procedural action taken by the House of Representatives to assert its constitutional prerogative on matters…

In politics, a “safety net” – also known as a “social safety net” – refers to the welfare programs that are designed to provide benefits to low-income or elderly Americans.

The “Checkers speech” was a televised address given by then-Senator Richard Nixon on September 23, 1952 as he was fighting to retain his spot on the national Republican ticket as…

The term “germane” is used to describe the requirement that proposed amendments or provisions introduced during the legislative process must be relevant and directly related to the subject matter of…

“Dark money” describes political donations that are made by individuals or organizations in a way that hides their identity from the public.

A “gypsy moth Republican” is a pejorative term used by conservative Republicans to describe a moderate members of their party who represent a Northeastern or Midwestern urban part of the…

“Filling the tree” is a procedure used by the Senate Majority Leader to offer a sufficient number of amendments on legislation to “fill the tree” so that no other senator…

An “autopsy report” is a comprehensive examination and analysis performed by a political party, organization, or think tank following an electoral defeat.

The term “bean counter” is a slang term used to refer to individuals who are perceived as overly focused on financial or budgetary concerns, often at the expense of other…

A leak in politics is the spread of secret, often unfavorable, news about a politician to the media by someone in his or her inner circle.

Releasing bad news or documents on a Friday afternoon in an attempt to avoid media scrutiny is often called a “Friday news dump” by members of the media.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Republican party used the so-called “Southern strategy” to win the votes of white southerners.