The Associated Press has compiled a list of U.S. political terms, phrases and definitions to assist in coverage of the 2012 national elections. The guidance encompasses the Democratic and Republican conventions to nominate presidential candidates; terminology for presidential races; campaign rhetoric; and elections for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Many of the terms are from the AP Stylebook. Others include writing with context and avoiding clichés.
Democratic nominees
President Barack Obama, or Obama or the president. Obama will accept the nomination for a second term at the Sept. 4-6 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
Vice President Joe Biden, or Biden or the vice president, will be the Democratic nominee for the same office as Obama’s running mate.
Republican nominee
Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, will become the Republican Party nominee when his delegates’ votes are tallied at the Republican National Convention Aug. 27-30 in Tampa, Fla. Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, is Romney’s vice presidential running mate.
presidency, presidential
The terms are lowercase, except in a title: Commission on Presidential Debates.
House and Senate
At stake are all 435 House seats from all 50 states, currently with a 240-191 Republican majority. In the 100-seat Senate, 33 seats are being contested. Democrats currently hold a 51-47 majority, plus two independents. In the House, seats held by nonvoting delegates from the District of Columbia and other U.S. territories are also at stake.
Congress, congressional
Capitalize when referring the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives together. The adjective is lowercase unless part of a formal name.
congressman, congresswoman
Not formal titles, spelled lowercase. Rep. is the preferred title before the name of a U.S. House member: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
majority leader, minority leader
Capitalize as formal legislative title before a name: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, otherwise lowercase.
ELECTION TERMINOLOGY, ISSUES
battleground states
Hotly contested states where one or both campaigns are spending money and polls show the electorate is split.
swing states
States where voters have vacillated between Republican and Democrat candidates in the last three or four presidential elections.
close race
Don’t describe a political race as close unless polls show it is and you reference polls.
conservative
Lowercase for a political philosophy, capitalize in a formal name: the Conservative Party.
convention
Lowercase except in formal name: the Democratic convention, the Democratic National Convention.
Democrat, Democratic Party
Both are capitalized. Don’t use Democrat Party.
the economy
Weak U.S. growth, the U.S. unemployment rate topping 8 percent and tax policies are the key issues.
Election Day, election night
The first is capitalized, the second is lowercase. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012.
“fair shot,” “fair share”
Obama’s belief that the government has a role in creating conditions for prosperity, that the income gap is hazardous to the nation. His belief is that a stable middle class gives everyone a fair chance to succeed. The terms are in quotes on first reference.
first lady
Not an official title, spelled lowercase (except when starting a sentence: First lady … )
fundraiser, fundraising
Single words in all uses.
front-runner
Candidate who leads a political race; the term is hyphenated.
leftist, ultra-leftist
Avoid these terms in favor of more precise descriptions of political leanings.
liberal, liberalism
Lowercase for a political philosophy. Capitalize in a formal name: the Liberal Party.
majority, plurality
A majority is more than half the votes cast; a plurality is the largest number of votes, but less than a majority.
middle class (n.), middle-class (adj.)
Key voting group encompassing about 42 percent of U.S. households with incomes ranging from $25,000 to $75,000 annually, according to White House Council of Economic Advisers.
“money bomb”
A rush of small political contributions collected via the Internet. In quotes on first reference.
“Obamacare”
Informal term for the Affordable Care Act. Often used derisively by Republicans, so avoid it unless quoting someone. If the term is essential, say something like “also known as ‘Obamacare,’ ” with quotes around the word.
“opportunity society”
Used by Romney to describe a society in which people and businesses succeed based on merit and free enterprise, not government doling out benefits. Reducing the size of federal government is essential, he says. In quotes on first reference.
PAC, super PAC
Political action committee raises money for candidates or parties from donations by individuals, but not businesses or labor unions. A super PAC may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, including from corporations and unions, to support candidates for federal office but must operate independently.
political affiliation
The party of a candidate or officeholder is essential in any election or issue story.
policymaker, policymaking
Both are compounds.
polls and surveys
Consult the detailed entry in the AP Stylebook — print and online — on how to use results of public opinion surveys and avoid exaggerating the meaning.
populist
Supports the rights and power of the common people; advocates unorthodox solutions; often critical of establishment politicians and political parties.
presidential debates
Three national TV debates between Obama and Romney are scheduled Oct. 3, 16 and 22.
press secretary
Seldom a formal title and thus lowercase.
re-elect, re-election
Both are hyphenated.
Republican, Republican Party
Both terms are capitalized. GOP (Grand Old Party) may be used on second reference.
rightist, ultra-rightist
Avoid these terms in favor of more precise descriptions of political leanings.
small parties
Groups that often form around an issue, such as taxation, or support outsider candidates. Also known as third parties, splinter parties.
tea party
Lowercase the populist movement that opposes the Washington political establishment. Adherents are tea partyers. Formally named groups in the movement are capitalized: Tea Party Express.
CLICHES AND ALTERNATIVES
ahead of – before
rainbow colors – avoid red, blue or purple for the political leanings of states. Use Democratic-leaning, Republican-tilting or swing-voting, etc.
barnstormed – traveled across a state campaigning or campaigned across XYZ.
hand-to-hand campaigning – seeking support in face-to-face meetings with voters.
hat in the ring – a candidate decided to run for an office.
horse race – closely contested political contest.
laundry list – the candidate has ideas, proposals, etc.
messaging – the candidate’s pitch to voters.
pressing the flesh – shaking hands is preferred.
rope line – the physical barrier that separates a candidate from the audience. Instead, the candidate shook hands and posed for photographs with the audience.
state nicknames – avoid them in favor of the state name.
stump speech – campaign speech at a routine appearance (or standard or regular campaign speech)
testing the waters – considered entering the race or considered running for XYZ.
took his/her campaign to – specify what the candidate did.
veepstakes – the competition to be a candidate’s running mate.
war lingo – use criticized instead of attacked, or choose a better verb to describe what the candidate is doing, i.e., challenging, doubting, etc. Also avoidable: launch an assault, take aim, open fire, bombard.
war chest – use campaign bank account or stockpile of money.
white paper – a document of policy positions distributed by a campaign.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
National context to show the significance.
Sense of place. Atmosphere illustrates why people in any locale vote as they do.
Quotes from voters. Comments from named individuals help gauge voter sentiment.
Rely on polls sparingly. Determine whether an opinion survey is reliable before including it.
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