527s: a tax-exempt political interest group formed to influence voters; they do not make donations directly to any party or candidate, so they are not regulated by the Federal Elections Commission, nor are they subject to contribution limits. (i.e. MoveOn.org, Club for Growth

Blue dog Democrats: Democrats who generally favour more conservative social policies

Blue state: A state that typically elects Democrats, mainly the Northeast and the West cost (i.e. Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon)

Bully pulpit: The US presidency when it is used as a platform for persuasively advocating a national agenda

Bundler: A fundraiser who gathers contributions from several individuals or corporations, and presents the large total amount to the campaign.

Caucus: A method of selecting party nominees for president used by some states; in order to participate, registered party members must attend a local caucus meeting. Once the caucus begins, voters group themselves by candidate or undecided, give speeches on behalf of their candidates, and try to convince others to join their group. At the end of the caucus, party officials count the numbers in each candidate’s group, and report the numbers to the state party organisation. The state party then awards candidates delegates to the national convention - either on a proportional or winner-takes-all basis - where they vote for their preferred nominee

Convention: Each party holds a national convention every four years to decide the party platform and formally nominate their candidate for president. The Democratic Convention will be held August 25-28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado, and the Republican Convention will be held September 1-4, 2008 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

Delegate: A state representative to the party’s national convention. Delegates are determined by state caucus or primary, and the number of delegates from each state depends on its population

Donkey: Mascot for the Democratic party

Elephant: Mascot for the Republican party

Federalism: System of government in the United States dividing power between federal and state governments; the federal government can only exercise powers enumerated in the Constitution (i.e. on matters of national defence, interstate and foreign commerce, taxation, etc.). The powers that the Constitution does not forbid or give to the federal government is reserved for the states.

Fence mending: What a candidate must do when after endorsing a policy that upset base supporters (i.e. Sen. Clinton’s vote for the Iraq war; Mayor Giuliani’s stance on abortion rights)

G.O.P.: Grand Old Party, a nickname for the Republican party since 1875

Gerrymandering: When state legislatures draw the boundaries for Congressional districts to benefit the party in power. It often results in districts in unusual shapes, and constituents are often confused about which Congressional district they are eligible to vote in. Named after Elbridge Gerry, who, when governor of Massachusetts in 1812, signed into law a tortuous electoral district resembling a salamander in order to advantage Jeffersonian Democrats

Hard money: Direct campaign contributions that are regulated by the FEC; for example, a citizen can donate a maximum of $2,300 per candidate per election cycle and a maximum of $28,500 to a national political party per year.

Inside the Beltway: 1. The area within the Capital Beltway (Interstate 485 loop) that encompasses the entire District of Columbia and parts of Virginia and Maryland 2. Usually refers to a way of thinking that is focused on matters important to federal government, politicians, and lobbyists (a similar affliction in the UK is called the “Westminster Bubble” or "Westminster Village")

K Street: Reference to a street in Washington, DC that is home to many lobbying firms

Lame duck: A politician who is finishing out his final term and is not seeking re-election

Moonbat: Pejorative label for a person on the political left

October surprise: A campaign strategy where a potentially extremely damaging political attack is launched against an opponent just weeks before an election in November, leaving the opponent with little time to recover from the damage and/or launch a counter attack (see Mark Foley scandal, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth)

PAC: Political Action Committee, a group organized around a common interest in order to influence elections, mostly representing business, labour, or ideological interests. Individual contributions to PACs are limited, and Federal Election Commission guidelines restrict the amount of money a PAC can contribute to a candidate or political party. (i.e. American Medical Association, American Federation of Teachers, EMILY’s List)

Primary: Another method of selecting party nominees for president where a state holds an official election allowing registered party voters to select their party’s candidate. The state party awards delegates to the national party convention depending on primary vote totals.

Pork barrel spending: When politicians divert federal monies to fund specific projects in their district in order to garner favour with their constituents

Purple State: See “Swing state”

Red State: A state that typically elects Republicans; i.e. Texas, Utah, and Georgia

RINO: Republican In Name Only; pejorative term used to describe Republican elected officials who are more socially liberal

Soft money: Political contributions not regulated by federal law. Until 2002, it generally encompassed spending by parties on behalf of their candidates, but the Campaign Finance Reform Act placed restrictions on party spending. Today, soft money in politics generally comes from 527 groups

Swift Boat (verb): To attack a candidate in a way that damages his credibility, usually by employing an “October Surprise”. So named for the assault on 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's military record by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group largely funded by Republicans which claimed he had lied about acts of heroism performed during the Vietnam War

Swing state: A state that is not predictably Republican or Democrat in presidential elections, but whose electoral votes are crucial in deciding the presidency. They are often called the battleground states or purple states).

Swing voters: Supposedly key voting groups that candidates must target in order to win office; in the 2004 election, they were Security Moms and NASCAR dads

War chest: The total amount a candidate is able to spend on their campaign

Wingnut: Derogatory term for a person on the political right

Times Recommends

• 'Devastating' abuse found amongst Aborigines
• LA profits from Michael Jackson stimulus
• Was Jörg Haider murdered?