Essay 11

Incumbents have a high reelection rate in both the House and Senate, but the House typically has a higher incumbency rate than the senate.  Incumbents usually have an advantage point because of their experience in the field.  This goes along with the fact that they are usually running against a weaker opponent, who isn't as used to the environment and isn't as politically experienced as an incumbent.  This will usually lead to a challenger defeat.  Another factor that can lead to incumbency advantage is the finance advantage they have. They are experienced in fundraising and will usually have people who favor their view and are willing to donate to them, whereas someone who is new won't already have a following or people who know what their political views are. This makes it much easier for an incumbent to run a campaign successfully.  Consequences of incumbency advantage can either be positive or negative.  A consequence that is considered more positive is that it leads to more experienced lawmakers.  This helps because more people making decisions are experienced and know how to get favorable laws passed.  A more negative consequence is that may of the people becoming selected are the same people we have had before, this leads to fewer women and minorities being elected.

(2001_2) the graph above shows reelection rates for incumbents in the House and Senate. From this information and your knowledge of of the US politics, perform the following 
tasks. 
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/sg_govpol_us_01_7046.pdf