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Writing:Introductory sentence for Congress
- Main article: Congress Project writing guidelines
Contents |
| Congress Project Writing Guidelines |
|---|
 |
| Profiles of Incumbents and Candidates |
| Starting the article |
| Photo • Infobox use |
| Introductory sentence |
| Biography and Career |
| Issues • Committee assignments |
| Elections • Electoral history |
| Polls • Videos • Donors |
| Donor history • Campaign finance |
| Analysis • % Vote w/party |
| Staff salaries • Net Worth |
| Personal • Recent news |
| Links • Succession box |
| References • Categories |
| Profiles of Congressional Districts |
| Infobox • Introductory sentence |
| Redistricting • District history |
| See also • Additional reading |
| Links • Categories |
| Election pages |
| Introductory template |
| Candidate creation • Photo |
| Race background • Election history |
| Congress project |
The introductory sentence is key in highlighting key facts about the page. This may include: district in which an officeholder serves, political party, state, counties within a congressional district, etc. Below are specific guidelines for members, districts and committees of Congress.
Profiles of members of Congress
The introductory sentence should highlight the officeholder's name (nickname if applicable), birth date, political party, congressional office in which they serve (U.S. House or U.S. Senate) and the specific district in which they serve.
Sentences should then follow detailing the first election to the office and the most re-election. Following the introductory paragraph, several more sentences should generally be included. These sentences should detail future election plans (running for re-election/retirement), beginnings of political career if different from first congressional election, and any important details/issues/controversies for which the member is best known.
The introductory section should end with a general statement about the incumbent which can be derived from the analysis section. Examples might include: Smith is a far-left Democratic leader, Smith is a Tea Party Conservative, or Smith is a rank-and-file Democrat.
Example: (Michele Bachmann):
Michele Marie Bachmann (b. April 6, 1956 in Waterloo, Iowa) is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Minnesota's 6th congressional district. Bachmann was first elected to the House in 2006, and [1] and is currently serving her fourth consecutive term, having recently won re-election on November 6, 2012 by a narrow margin of 1.2%.[2] She ran in the 2012 Republican presidential primary, but dropped out of the race on January 4, 2012 after finishing in sixth place in the Iowa caucuses. She received only 5 percent of the vote in her home state of Iowa.[3]
Bachmann is set to run for re-election in 2014, and will likely face a rematch against her 2012 Democratic challenger Jim Graves in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Bachmann began her political career as a Minnesota State Senator in 2001 and remained a state senator until her successful 2006 congressional bid.
Bachmann gained national attention in 2010 during the Tea Party rallies. In July 2010, she founded the Tea Party Caucus for which she remains the chairman.[4]
A divisive figure for her outspoken conservative views, Bachmann is currently under an FBI investigation for misuse of campaign funds during her unsuccessful 2012 presidential bid.[5]
Profiles of congressional districts
The introductory sentence should highlight the region of the state in which the district resides, counties that fall within the district's jurisdiction and the current representative of that particular district.
Example (South Carolina's 5th congressional district):
The 5th Congressional District of South Carolina is a congressional district in northern South Carolina bordering North Carolina. It includes all of Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Marlboro, Newberry and York counties and parts of Florence, Lee and Sumter counties.
The current representative of the 5th congressional district is Mick Mulvaney.
Profiles of congressional district elections
Example: Washington's 2nd congressional district elections, 2012
The first sentence should follow this format: "The 2nd congressional district of Washington will hold an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012."
Next, the introductory section for congressional district election pages uses the Template:Congintro2012:
{{Congintro2012
|Filing deadline=
|Primary date=
|Primary=
|Voter registration=
|State=
|Incumbent=
}}
Explanation of components
Filing deadline: The state's filing deadline for candidates
Primary date: The state's primary date
Primary: "STATE has a closed primary/open primary/blanket primary system, in which [INSERT BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PRIMARY TYPE (See below)]."
Voter registration: "Voters must/had to register to vote in the primary by DATE. For the general election, the voter registration deadline is DATE.[6]"
State: STATE
Incumbent: "Heading into the election the incumbent is [[INCUMBENT]] (R/D), who was first elected to the House in 2000. (S)he is/is not running for re-election in 2012."
Brief descriptions of primary types
- A closed primary is one in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.
- An open primary is one in which any registered voter can choose which party's primary to vote in, without having to be a member of that party.
- A blanket primary is one in which voters pick one candidate for each office, without regard to party.
Profiles of committees
The introductory sentence should highlight whether the committee is part of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate or a joint congressional committee. Additionally, you may add information relating to the history of the committee, such as the date it was created.
Example (United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture):
The United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The committee was created on May 3, 1820. At the time there were 213 total House representatives and a country population of 9 million.
Profiles of federal office holders
The introductory sentence should highlight the officeholder's name (nickname if applicable), birth date, and current position in which they serve. Following the basic details, there should be a one sentence summation of the most notable achievement/controversy if applicable. Additional information about confirmation, appointment, and prior offices can be listed in a short paragraph following the opening.
Example (John Kerry):
John Kerry (b. December 11, 1943) is the current Secretary of State of the United States of America. He is also a former Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from the state of Massachusetts.
See also
References
- ↑ WBUR, "5 Things You May Not Know About Michele Bachmann," December 15, 2011
- ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Minnesota," November 7, 2012
- ↑ ABC News "Michele Bachmann Drops Out of Presidential Race," January 4, 2012
- ↑ Politico "Bachmann forms Tea Party Caucus" Accessed May 21, 2013
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Michele Bachmann Presidential Campaign Investigation Joined By FBI," May 20, 2013
- ↑ [REFERENCE]
