Why Do Congressional Incumbents Have Such a High Rate of Reelection

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The Answer is Incumbents have a great advantage in congressional elections due to the various benefits that incumbency provides.Among these are the ability to claim credit for congressional achievements,provide pork-barrel legislation,perform constituent services,and garner publicity.Incumbents have the advantage of well-established mailing lists and support networks and the congressional privilege of the "frank," which affords them some free use of postal services.Incumbents have a decided advantage over their challengers in terms of ability to raise campaign funds; PACS are particularly kind to incumbents.House members,not senators,may also benefit from gerrymandering-the redrawing of election districts to make them less competitive.

Why Do Congressional Incumbents Have Such a High Rate of Reelection

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