1. Congress Intro Play the game!

2. Why become a Congressman? Power ◦ Influence public policy Money ◦ $174,000 a year Receive generous retirement and health benefits ◦ Government funded healthcare and retirement plans

3. Who becomes a Congressman? Lawyers ◦ Allow flexibility for running for office in Congress and funding from law firms ◦ District Attorneys Many individuals are career politicians.

4. Who’s not in Congress? 113 th Congress ◦ 435 Men ◦ 98 Women (according to Washington Post)  102 veterans  7 Openly Gay  1 Hindu, 1 Buddhist ◦ As of 2010  10% of members African American  24 members are Hispanic.

5. Who do they represent? Descriptive representation: representing constituents mirroring a Congressman’s personal characteristics. Substantive representation: representing interest groups

6. Elect Me! Incumbents: an individual holding office. ◦ 2012: President Obama was the incumbent 90% of House incumbents win reelection Senators have an advantage but more vulnerable ◦ More diverse voter base ◦ Higher profile opponents.

7. Incumbent Advantages Why do incumbents have advantages? ◦ 1. Voters know how representatives vote.  28% of people know who their representative is. ◦ 2. Advertising  Staying visible and using “franking” privileges to stay in contact with constituents ◦ 3. Credit Claiming  Casework: Helping constituents get what they think they deserve  Pork Barrel: federal projects and grants available to colleges local businesses and local governments.

8. More Advantages Position Taking ◦ Taking stances on issues make a Congressman either more electable or less depending on their districts Weak Opponents ◦ Lack of adequate campaign funding

9. Cuanto cuesto? 07-08 Campaign Spending = $2 Billion ◦ House average winner = $1.7 million ◦ Senate average winner = $8.5 million  Opponents of incumbents at a steep disadvantage Party identity helps incumbents as well ◦ 90% of those with party identities vote for House members that belong to that party.

10. How to defeat the monster? Challengers are often defeated due to being naïve ◦ Unaware of the costs and challenges Ways to defeat incumbents: ◦ Scandal or corruption of an incumbent ◦ Redistricting  In new district boundaries, incumbents may lose supporters