The '''coattail effect''' is the tendency for a well known political party leader to draw votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. A leader of one political party who is receiving a vast amount of votes is often able to help attract votes for other candidates in the same party.
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The '''coattail effect''' is the tendency for a well known and popular political party leader to draw votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.
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For example, some would argue that many [[Republicans]] gained seats in [[Congress]] and lower offices following the 2004 elections due to the 'coattail effect' of [[George W. Bush]].
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For example, some would argue that many [[Republicans]] gained seats in [[Congress]] and lower offices following the 2004 elections due to the 'coattail effect' of [[George W. Bush]]. On the Democrat side, the 1948 upset win of [[Harry S. Truman]] resulted in the Democrats gaining seats in the Senate and retaking the House; though Truman was expected to lose badly he had tremendous personal popularity resulting in a significant coattail effect.