Final answer:
David Mayhew posits that the primary goal of elected officials is to secure reelection, employing strategies like advertising, credit claiming, and position taking. They cater to local concerns and act as either delegates or trustees representing their constituents' interests. These activities encourage a feedback loop that shapes policy in democratic systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to David Mayhew, the number one goal of elected officials is to get reelected. To this end, they engage in three primary activities to increase their chances of reelection: advertising, credit claiming, and position taking. Advertising allows them to be visible through interviews, speeches, and public appearances, whereas credit claiming involves highlighting the direct benefits they have secured for their constituents through policies, earmarks, casework, and bill sponsorship. Position taking is more about establishing a popular stance through votes and speeches rather than changing policy. In pursuing reelection, they often address concerns and needs of constituents, helping them navigate government bureaucracy and improving local conditions, which is epitomized by the phrase "All politics is local".
Furthermore, representatives choose to act either as delegates, directly conveying the people's policy preferences, or as trustees, using their own judgment to determine what's in the constituents' best interest. This feedback loop between voters and elected officials essentially influences the policies elected officials enact and underscores the connection between individual and state levels of analysis in democracies.