Advantages and Disadvantages of Incumbency

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“Incumbency is the time during which a person holds a particular office or position.” (Incumbency) An incumbent candidate is a candidate who is returning to a position or office. The president can serve only two four year terms. Senators and legislators can serve an unlimited amount of six year terms. Since George Washington was president, presidents usually served two terms. However, Franklin D. Roosevelt served four terms. This resulted in the 22nd amendment limiting the amount of terms to two. The 22nd amendment was passed by congress on March, 21st 1947 and ratified by the states in February 27th, 1951.
The idea of terms has been around for a while. Terms were used in ancient Greece and Rome. This was to prevent a person from gathering power and forming a non-democratic regime. “In many countries, including the U.S., term limits are imposed on presidents or other executive-branch officials for the same reasons. Many U.S. states restrict the number of terms their governors may serve in a succession as well.” (Term Limits)
One important reason Americans want to limit terms of their elected representatives is because they are likely to blame what they observe as professional and almost permanent ruling elect of career politicians for a majority of the country’s ill. Supporters of term limits claim the advantages of incumbency are so overpowering that they instead decrease representative democracy and diminish the effectiveness of the government. “Since 1950, about 90% of all incumbents in the House have won the reelection. The 10% who do not return includes both retiring members and those defeated in reelection attempts.” (Term Limits) “Proponents term limits argue that elected officials in Washington eventually become estrang...

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...ureaucracy and can strike quickly. For example, when providing a press release or a draft fundraising letter for an incumbent, I can wait weeks or even months for approval. Most of my challenger candidates respond within 24 hours.” (Robichaud) Also, incumbents can sometimes become desensitized to citizens needs overtime and not care about their issues. Whether an incumbent candidate or not, both an incumbent candidate and a challenger candidate will have their disadvantages and advantages when it comes to time for them to run for office.

Works Cited

"Incumbency." Merriam-Webster. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Robichaud, Holly. "Challengers Have Many Advantages in Campaigns."
Winning Campaigns. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
“Term Limits." Facts on File: Issues and Controversies. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar.
2014.
"22nd Amendment." LAWS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014

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