OCTOBER 16, 2008 | Words one uses when talking about campaigning and elections
With the general election in the United States just around the corner ( = coming shortly), we thought it would be a good idea to discuss some common vocabulary associated with the process. When two candidates are running neck and neck, it means that they are (almost) tied, that the race is very close. When one candidate pulls away or opens a (big) lead, it means that they are considerably ahead in the race. Another common idiom that's often used in the world of politics is to play it safe, which means to not do anything too risky. EX. "The two candidates were very careful about what they said during the debate. They both played it safe."
A stump speech is the main speech that a candidate makes when he's traveling from city to city and talking to crowds. You can also refer to this as a "campaign speech". When we speak of strongholds (eg. "Republican stronghold", "Democratic stronghold"), we are speaking of places where the majority is known to vote for a certain party - EX. "The state of Texas is a Republican stronghold" = "Most people in the state of Texas vote for Republicans". A game-changer is something that changes the race dramatically, like when two candidates are "neck and neck" (see above) and some damaging news comes that gives the other candidate a strong lead. Last but not least, to cast your ballot means "to vote".
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