Incumbent Advantage - Reading Side A "Incumbents and Elections" "Why do Incumbents have the Advantage?" "Pros and Cons" Reading Side B "Penny for your Thoughts?" "Opinion Journalism" "Blurred Lines" "Reality Check" Incumbency Activity Headline Guessing Game. Try to figure out whether these real-life headlines belonged to a news article or an opinion article. How? By looking closely at the headline’s words, structure, and meaning. Make your best guess and explain exactly what influenced your choice. Circle the words and/or phrases that influenced you. Midterm Elections - Reading Side A "Midterm Elections" "Power Struggle" "Finding Balance" Reading Side B "Horse Race Journalism" "Following the Race" "A Major Impact" Mid-term Elections Activity The Great Race. Read the excerpt from the news article below. The article was originally published on Politico. com. Consider the influence media coverage can have in shaping voter’s opinions by answering the questions that follow. Midterm Math (poster) - Midterm elections affect the national, state, and local governments in huge ways which is the reasons why you should care.