Incumbency Surge: Examining the 1996 Margin of Victory for U.S. House Incumbents

摘要

In 1996, the American public reelected 357 members to the United States House of Representatives; of those running for reelection, 95% succeeded. Several congressmen received a large margin of victory over their political opponents, similar to election results of the past. Trends in American politics have been the overwhelming reelection rates of House incumbents as well as large margins of victory over challengers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing incumbents’ margin of victory in the 1996 Congressional elections.