POLSCI 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Steny Hoyer, Steve Scalise, Nancy Pelosi
11 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
2/14/18 - Elections
● Pennsylvania’s 7th district
○ One party gets more votes overall but the other party gets more seats
■ Taken to court in Pennsylvania
● Claimed that one party benefiting over another is partisan
gerrymandering
○ Redraw boundaries for next election
○ Court will now be in charge of drawing districts
● Gerrymandering
○ Drawing districts in a way that benefits one group over another
■ In most states the party that has control of the state tends to be the one drawing
the district
■ Makes it even more likely that once you win you are more likely to keep winning
● Pitfalls of incumbency:
○ Troublesome issues
○ Personal misconduct
○ Strong challengers
Congress - Structure and Process
● Bicameralism:
○ Operate in different ways
■ House:
● More partisan
● Committees play a very important role
● Rigid rules
● Taxing and spending
■ Senate:
● Less partisan
● Committees less important
● Loose rules
● Treaties, appointments
○ House party leadership
■ Speaker
● Paul Ryan (R-WI)
■ Minority leader
● Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
■ Majority Leader
● Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
○ Helps speaker
■ Whips
● Steve Scalise (R-LA)
● Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
○ Keeps all members of party caucus
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