Incumbent

INCUMBENTS ARE THE current holders of political offices. The term incumbent is often used in reference to electoral politics, specifically to office-holders who seek re-election. Incumbency is an important factor in American elections. In Congress, for example, over 90 percent of incumbents who run for re-election hold their seats. Incumbent presidents are also very successful in their re-election bids. Richard Fenno highlights three goals of members of Congress: to make good policy, secure more power, and maintain their place in the legislature. This re-election goal is seen as paramount because legislators cannot accomplish other goals without winning re-election. Thus, elected officials do their best to ensure victory in upcoming elections and have built for themselves a substantial advantage over challengers. The incumbent advantage is seen in three activities: position taking, credit claiming, and advertising.

Position taking occurs when candidates make statements about particular issues. Incumbents have extra opportunities to take positions in that they already serve in an elected position and are able to build a legislative record to support the positions they express. Position taking is not exclusive to incumbents. Challengers have the ability to take positions on issues, but incumbents have a definite advantage in being able to pass these messages on to the public. Challengers are also unable to support their preferences with a voting record unless they also serve in an elected position.

Credit claiming is an activity that is only available to incumbents. Where position taking gives incumbents the chance to state preferences that are similar to that of their constituents, credit claiming is the advertising of results. Incumbents can claim credit for a variety of governmental outputs, but traditionally incumbents claim credit for local service. Credit claiming presents an opportunity for incumbents to distinguish themselves from challengers by highlighting all of their legislative accomplishments that benefited local constituents. Credit claiming also typically involves the pork barrel, which would include spending on projects that specifically target certain areas or constituents. These projects often receive broad support by elected officials, providing most members get some funding to bring back to their constituents. The outputs that are the subject of most credit claiming provide a strong example of how incumbents work with one another outside of important political distinctions, such as party, to maintain their hold over their offices.

Advertising is where incumbents tend to have their largest advantage. In presidential elections, the advantages of incumbency are minimal with respect to the ability to advertise accomplishments while in office. Presidential challengers have held elective offices and are pushed into national prominence by the media. Given the two-party system and the importance of the office, challeng-ers [Page 319]are able to raise more than enough campaign money to remove these traditional barriers to winning office. Incumbency is a far more important factor in congressional, state, and local elections, especially in terms of the monetary advantages accruing to incumbents. In order for candidates to gain recognition among the public that will translate into votes, they need a means of disseminating political and campaign information. Non-presidential elections often suffer from a paucity of coverage by the media. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the candidates to reach out to potential voters. For incumbents, advertising allows the publicizing of legislation that has positively impacted local constituents and highlighting a voting record that is consistent with the preferences of constituents. Challengers, if they do not have enough money, will be unable to counter incumbent claims or present negative information about the incumbent to the public.

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