In [[politics]], a candidate or party's '''base''' or '''core support''' refers to the [[voter]]s who support them for [[elected office]] based on core values. On the [[left-right political spectrum]], left-leaning bases tend to be liberal while right-leaning bases tend to be conservative.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cJqlBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA981#v=onepage&q&f=false |editor-last=Harvey |editor-first=Kerric |editor-first= |chapter=Political base |title=Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics |publisher=[[SAGE Publications]] |date=December 20, 2013 |pp=981–983}}</ref> In the United States, high-level candidates must hold the same stances on key issues as a party's base in order to gain the party's [[nomination]] and thus be guaranteed [[ballot access]]. In the case of [[legislative elections]], base voters often prefer to support their party's candidate against an otherwise appealing opponent in order to strengthen their party's chances of gaining a [[majority]] in the legislature.{{cn|date=November 2024}}
