POLSCI 190 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Dark Money, Sheldon Adelson, Koch Family

• School: U of M
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLSCI 190
• Professor: Richard Hall

Document Summary

Elections are the way to mirror the changing views and values of the electorate. Can be messy, as voters don"t think strictly in terms of party and ideology. They feared representatives that merely mirrored the public. Defined by geography, not by party like in proportional representation. Senate also represents the geographic region, but it is larger and they were not originally elected by popular vote. Homogenous districts make it easy for representatives to make relationships strong, can make collective representation of the chamber odd. More polarized districts are represented while moderate constituents are not. Residential segregation also leads to homogenous districts. Needs 60 votes, which means they need to pick up 8 democrats. Republicans may use the nuclear option to eliminate the filibuster for supreme. Different electorates in presidential and midterm elections. When the incumbent can raise more money, less outside spending is necessary. Some republican candidates benefitted because donors thought trump would lose.