AP Government and Politics

On average, how much does it cost to beat a House Incumbent?

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What most surprised you about this chart?

3. What is one trend you see in this chart?

4. What is one explanation for the trend?

5. What is one consequence of the trend?

6. Is this good news?

7. What is the connection between this chart and the following terms: gerrymandering, democracy, federalism?

8. In 2016, 97% of all House incumbents won reelection. Why do you think that is?

9. What is the connection between the cost of beating an incumbent and the chance of beating an incumbent?

10. Based on the data from the chart above, what would you assume the numbers for the 2016 election looked like?

11. How does this affect the policy and laws we get out of Washington?

12. Would this information make you likely to challenge an incumbent for office?

Learning Extension

Scroll through this chart from Open Secrets of every district in the nation to see how the incumbents in your state did in the 2016 election.

Action Extension

Contact your U.S. House Representative and congratulate them for how well their district has been gerrymandered and how well they outspent their opponent. Share your correspondence in class or online.

Bonus Chart