Members of Congress
Who is in Congress: Sex and Race
Beliefs and interests of members of Congress can affect policy
Sex and Race:House has become less male and less white
Senate has been slower to changeMembers of color may gain influence more quickly than women b/c they come from safe districts
Republican control has decreased influence of all minorities
Who is in Congress: Incumbency
Membership in Congress became a career – low turnover by the 1950’s
1992 and 1994 brought many new members to the House
Redistricting after 1990 census put many incumbents in districts they couldn’t win
Anti-incumbency attitude of votersRepublican victory in 1994 partially due to shift in South
Who is in Congress: Incumbency
Incumbents still have great electoral advantageMost House districts safe, not marginalSenators are less secure
Voters support incumbents for several reasonsGet more media coverageGreater name recognition (franking, visits, etc)
Secure policies and programs for voters
Who is in Congress: PartyDemocrats controlled both houses in 25 Congresses and
at least one in 29 Congresses between 1933-2004Gap between votes and seats: Republican vote is higher
than number of seats wonArgument that Dems redraw district lines in their favorRepublicans run best in high turnout districts, Dems in
lowIncumbent advantage now benefits bothGap closed in 1994- stable pattern of Republican
control in placeElectoral convulsions do periodically alter membership
(as in 1994)• Voters opposed incumbents due to budget deficits, legislative
policies, bickering, scandal• Also, 1990 redistricting and southern shift toward Republican
The 113th Congress
541 elected officials from 50 states, five territories, and Washington, D.C.House: 435 members, 5 non-voting delegates, and 1 Resident Commissioner 232 Republicans200 Democrats
Senate: 100 members 53 Democrats45 Republicans 2 Independents
The House by District
The Senate
The 113th CongressAverage Age
Senate: 61 yearsHouse: 56 years
Over age 70House: 48Senate: 23
Under age 40House: 33Senate: 2
Gender20 female
Senators, 81 female Representatives 60 are democrats
First female combat veterans
Sexual Orientation7 openly gay, 1
bisexualhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/congress-diversity-113-members-sworn-in_n_2404848.html
http://media.cq.com/blog/2012/12/demographics-of-the-113th-congress/
The 113th CongressEthnicity
◦Senate 1 African-American 1 Latino 3 Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders
◦House 42 African-Americans 29 Latino 9 Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders 1 Native American 3 Middle Eastern (Lebanese)
The 113th CongressReligion
54.7% Protestant◦ Top Five Denominations
Roman Catholic 30.1% Baptist 12.4% Methodist 10.7% Jewish 8.4% Presbyterian 8.1%
◦ Most religiously diverse House in history 2 Muslims 2 Buddhists 1 Hindu 45 Jews 11 Mormons 1 Quaker 1 Atheist
The 113th Congress 113 VeteransEducation
95% hold university degrees27 Representatives and 1 Senator have no
degree beyond a high school diploma83 Representatives and 17 Senators have a
Master’s degree as their highest degree202 Congress people have a law degree24 Representatives and 0 Senators have a
doctoral degree (Ph.D.)17 Representatives and 3 Senators have a
medical degree
The 113th Congress Former Occupations
Doctor, dentist, nurse, veterinarian, psychologist, optometrist, clinical dietician, pharmacist
Minister Governor, mayor, lieutenant governor, Former pro athletes Sheriff, police officer, state trooper, probation officer,
volunteer firefighter, FBI agent, border patrol chief Accountant Astronaut, physicist, naval aviator, commander of an
aircraft battle group, instructor at West Point, pilot of Marine One
Organic farmer, rancher, fruit orchard worker Professional musician, screenwriter, comedian,
documentary film maker Carpenter, furniture salesman, mortician, waitress, coroner,
toll booth worker, taxicab driver, hotel clerk, ironworker
Do Members Represent Their Voters?
Member behavior not always obvious Three theories of member behavior:
1. Representational View: members vote to please their constituents in order to secure reelection
Applies when constituents have a clear view and legislators vote will attract attention (usually civil rights and social welfare rather than foreign policy)
Can’t predict marginal districts or that members of safe districts will not be independent
Even if member votes against constituency preference, they can still win reelection in other ways
Do Members Represent Their Voters?2. Organizational View: when constituency
interests are not at stake, members respond to cues from colleagues
Party is principle cue – shared ideological ties cause each member to look to specific members for guidance (especially members of the sponsoring committee)
3. Attitudinal View: member’s ideology determines his/her vote
House is more ideologically similar to “average voter” than Senate
Senate less in tune with public opinion, more likely to support different bases of support in each state1950’s-early 60’s: conservative institution dominated by
southern statesMid 1960’s- late 70’s: rise of liberal senators and
increasing decentralization1980- present: rise of ideologically-based conservative
Republicans
Ideology and Civility in Congress
Members are increasingly divided by political ideologyAttitudinal explanation of voting is of increasing importance
Organizational explanation is decreasing importance
Polarization among members has led to many more attacks and to less constructive negotiations of bills and policies