It’s Nothing Personal: The Decline of the Incumbency Advantage in US House Elections

• Published in: The Journal of politics Vol. 77; no. 3; pp. 861 - 873
• Main Author: Jacobson, Gary C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago University of Chicago Press 01.07.2015
• Subjects: American history; Congressional elections; Districts; Elections; Incumbency; Incumbents; Legislators; Legislatures; Loyalty; Nationalization; Partisanship; Political campaigns; Political candidates; Political parties; Political partisanship; Presidential candidates; Presidential elections; Presidents; Victims; Voter behavior; Voters; Voting; Voting patterns; United States > US; Congress; voting; incumbency; elections

With little fanfare, the electoral advantage enjoyed by US representatives has fallen over the past several elections to levels not seen since the 1950s. The incumbency advantage has diminished in conjunction with an increase in party loyalty, straight-ticket voting, and president-centered electoral...