Final answer:
The statement is true; incumbents in the House of Representatives have a significant advantage in reelections, due to factors such as name recognition, gerrymandering, fundraising, and media coverage, resulting in a high rate of incumbent reelection.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, in the House of Representatives, a sizeable majority of incumbents seeking reelection usually win. This phenomenon is often attributed to the incumbency advantage, which provides several benefits to sitting members.
Incumbents enjoy greater name recognition due to previous election cycles and often have a more robust fundraising mechanism. They are more likely to receive coverage in the media and support from political action committees and interest groups.
Factors like gerrymandering and safe seats in uncompetitive districts contribute to the high reelection rates of incumbents by ensuring that constituencies are drawn in a way that favors them.
Despite general dissatisfaction with Congress, many voters continue to support their local representatives, thereby perpetuating the discrepant approval ratings between individual members and the institution as a whole.
Studies have shown that this advantage is highly predictive of election outcomes, with re-election rates for incumbents typically being very high. For instance, in 2014, 95 percent of representatives and 82 percent of senators were reelected.