Still, it is important to understand why it is that incumbents win, and why the public seems to think that their own member in Congress is doing a good job, and should be reelected again and again, in spite of the low approval ratings for Congress as an

institution that have persisted for several decades.

We often see Democrats voting for Republican members of the House, and Republicans voting for Democratic members of the House, if the candidate they are voting for is the incumbent. Incumbency seems to be more of a factor in influencing voter choice than is par

Why is it that incumbents are better known and liked than their opponents? The answer lies in the contacts the voter has with the congressional candidates. Voters tend to have had far more contact with incumbents than with their challengers in the election.

Even though only a limited proportion of citizens in a congressional district may have been helped directly by a member of Congress and their staff, a far greater number of constituents (i.e., the family, friends, or coworkers of the constituent helped)

The question becomes, why is there this party defection? That is, why do loyal party supporters vote for the incumbent of the opposite party when faced with such a choice in the voting booth? At the most basic level, the public hesitates to vote for a candidate they know nothing about. One of the most consistent findings over the years in looking at voting in congressional elections is that simply knowing who the candidate is has a striking impact in

For the most part, that personal interaction comes in the form of casework, that is, staff of a member of Congress helping constituents resolve some problem in dealing with the government bureaucracy (e.g., getting a Social Security check, or information from the IRS on how to obtain and complete tax forms).

Increasingly, members of Congress have also established multiple offices in their district, which are open year round. Representatives are able to keep a constant presence in the district, with staff available to assist constituents in their dealings with the federal government. In rural states, with districts extending over many miles, representatives have established mobile offices to perform outreach activities to constituents. These mobile vans travel around the district, stopping in man

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1189
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)