POLI 100B Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Dave Brat
Document Summary
Pre-2014 election: congressional future was bright (va-7) First elected to the house in 2000. Minority whip in 2009, then majority leader after republicans retake the majority in the 2010 midterms. Many expected him to succeed house speaker john boehner. Defeat of powerful congressional incumbent is unusual but cantor"s case was exceptional. Never had a sitting majority leader been defeated in a congressional primary. When incumbents are (unusually) defeated, it"s big news because incumbent reelection rates are high. Role of ambition in the decision to seek election to congress. Take a look at the data: election returns, incumbency, nationalization of elections. Electoral connection links voters and their representatives in congress. Voters use elections both to choose who will serve their interests in congress and to evaluate their representatives" performance. Elementary view: voters either reward members for doing a good job (and grant them another term in office) or punish them for not performing well enough (and replace them with someone else)
