Sophomore surge

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A sophomore surge (sometimes referred to in the

History

This phenomenon first started in the 1960s. As of 1998, freshman candidates running for a second term now get eight to ten percent more votes than when they were elected for their first term.^{[citation needed]} (Over ninety percent of all incumbent House members are reelected.^{[citation needed]}) Senate members also currently benefit from a sophomore surge, though it is to a lesser degree.^{[citation needed]}

The reason for the sophomore surge is attributed^{[by whom?]} to the fact that congressmen have figured out how to run personal campaigns rather than party campaigns. They make use of their free, or “franked,” mail; frequent home trips; radio and television broadcasts; and service distribution to their districts in order to create a good opinion of themselves, not their party, among their constituents.^{[citation needed]}

References

• ISBN 0-395-85763-5
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