Sophomore surge

A sophomore surge (sometimes referred to in the United Kingdom as first-term incumbency bonus[1][2]) is a term used in the political science of the United States Congress that refers to an increase in votes that congressional candidates (candidates for the House of Representatives) usually receive when running for their first re-election. The phrase has been adopted in Australia by psephologist Malcolm Mackerras who is well known for his electoral pendulums.

  1. ^ Jackson, Gavin; Shubber, Kadhim (22 April 2015). "Punters place more bets on Ed Miliband as UK prime minister". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. ^ Cowley, Philip; Stuart, Mark. "Being Policed? Or Just Pleasing Themselves?" (PDF). University of Nottingham. Retrieved 10 February 2017.