The Incumbency Advantage Incumbency tradition is high in both Senate (generally above 50%)

and House (generally above 80%, incumbent rate more stable than Senate)

Media coverage is higher for incumbents Incumbents have greater name recognition

due to franking (use govt $), travel to the district, news coverage

Members secure policies and programs for voters Easier to raise campaign contributions because

lobbyists seek their favors Redistricting that incumbents do (gerrymandering and

malapportionment) Sophomore surge- second term election strength Constituents can see what incumbents are doing in their

community Exception to incumbency advantage: scandal or unpopular president Consequences?

Continuity (less radical change), more experienced, established relationships with interest groups, policy specialization

discourages challengers, lack of responsiveness, fewerminorities

Incumbent House Members Running for Reelection, 1964-2006

19641966

19681970

19721974

19761978

19801982

19841986

19881990

19921994

19961998

20002002

20042006

0

100

200

300

400

0

Number defeated Number reelected

Reelection Rates of House and Senate Incumbents

1946-2006

1946

1948

1950

1952

1954

1956

1958

1960

1962

1964

1966

1968

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

50

60

70

80

90

100Percent reelected

House Senate

In 1974, huge drop in House and Senate Republican seats due to Watergate scandal; huge drop of Democratic incumbents due to Ronald Reagan’s popularity and Jimmy Carter’s failure

Determinants of voting patterns

• Representative as ______________ vs. _____________

– Delegate: act on what constituents want (agent of the voters, even if they disagree)– Trustee: members act on their own personal beliefs of what is best for society

• _________________ (Constituent influence): members vote to please their constituents, in order to secure re-election– Interest group influence, constant visits at home with constituents,

e-mails, phone calls, town hall meetings• _________________(colleague and party influence): where

constituency interests are not vitally at stake, members primarily respond to cues from colleagues– Party leadership pressure, vote along party lines (more than 75% of

the time)• _________________ (personal views): the member’s ideology

determines her/his vote

• Congressional approval ratings very low (30%) overall distrust of Congress as a whole; higher approval of individual members

• Anomaly: incumbents reelected

Confidence in American Institutions, 2007

Source: CNN/USA Today/ Gallup poll, June 11-44, 2007.

"I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one--a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?"

The m ilitarySmall business

The policeThe church

BanksSupreme Court

Public schoolsM edical systemThe presidencyTelevision news

NewspapersCrim inal justice

Organized laborBig business

HM OsCongress

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80Percent responding "great deal" or "quite a lot"

Confidence in government institutions is comparatively low.

Congressional Approval, 1974-200619

74

1975

19

76

1978

19

86

1990

19

92

1994

19

95

1996

19

97

1998

19

99

2000

20

01

2002

20

03

2004

20

05

2006

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Per

cent

resp

ondi

ng "

appr

ove"

“Do you approve of the way Congress is handling its job?”

Americans are far more favoring

towards their own member of Congress

Party Leadership in Congress Overview After legislative election (every 2 years), the party with the most

representatives is the “___________” party – Significance: majority party holds the most significant leadership positions and

the majority of seats in committees Political parties are very important in the basic organization of leadership

and member’s voting in the House and Senate

Overview of leadership positions:

• Speaker of the House (House of Reps) – Nancy Pelosi• Majority leader (House and Senate) • Minority leader (House and Senate)• Party whips (House and Senate)• President pro-tempore (Senate)• President of the Senate (Senate)- Joe Biden

- Currently the 111th Congress January 2009- January 2011 Democrats- Soon we will be in the 112th Congress January 2011-2013 Divided

Party Structure in the House House___________________is most important leader of majority party and presides over

House (once all powerful until revolt in 1910) – voted for by majority party, senior member w/ leadership exp

– __________________ over meetings – Recognizes members to speak– ___________________ members to select & conference committees– Directs business on the floor– _____________________ to committees– Exercises behind the scenes influence over

party members– 3rd in line for succession– Usually one votes in case of a tie

• ____________ leader and ____________ leader: floor leaders, schedules bills, rounds up votes for party favors, stepping stone to Speaker position, spokesperson for minority party

• _________________ keep leaders informed (go betweens for leaders and members), round up votes of party members, pressure members to support leadership, inform members of important bills

• Committee assignments and legislative schedule are set by each party

Senate Party Leadership • President of the Senate is the Vice President of U.S. (rarely present,

only votes in ties) – ____________office• President pro tempore ______________; this is the member with

most seniority in majority party (a largely honorific office, no real powers)

• ___________ leaders are the *majority leader and the minority leader, elected by their respective party members – first Senator heard on the floor, determines Senate agenda, influences committee assignments

• Party whips: keep leaders _________, round up ______, count noses

• Each party has a policy committee: schedules Senate business, prioritizes bills

• Committee assignments are handled by a group of Senators, each for their own party

Committees_____________work of Congress

• Bills are worked out or killed in committees • Investigate problems and oversee the executive branch

Four types of committees:

1) ___________ Committees (*legislation)Most important, basically permanent, handle bills in diff. policy areas, only type of comm. to propose legislation by reporting a bill to full House (Senate-16, House-19) *Most important: Ways and Means (taxes), Senate judiciary, Rules Committee

2) ____________(*special, temporary issues)• Formed for specific purposes, temporary (but may become standing committees), sometimes

produce legislation• Ex. Investigated Watergate scandal

3) ____________Committees (*joint special issues)• Select comm. consisting of members from both House and Senate,

conduct business between houses, help focus public attention on major issues, oversee institutions , investigations

4) ______________ Committees (*compromise bill)• Consist of members from houses, hammer out differences between House and

Senate versions of similar bills, make a compromise bill to be sent back to each house for approval

1995-1996 (104th Congress, Republicans) reformed # of committees (reduced from 252-198), term limits on committee chairmen (6 yrs)

Each member of House serves on 1-2 standing committees (unless limited to one of exclusive); Senators may serve on two major committees (average – 7 subcommittees) and one minor committee

Committee Membership

_____________and majority of each standing committee comes from ___________ party with a minority of minority party members (try to be proportionate to Congressional party split)

Assignments are based on personal and political qualities of the member, region, reelection help Members from safe districts (elected with _____ than ___% of the vote, guaranteed

reelection) can be on an important committee that helps the nation and public welfare,

while marginal districts (elected with _____ than ___% of vote, reelection is not secure) need committees that suit the need of constituents (ex. Kansas rep on Agricultural committee)

Method of committee membership: Each party has a Committee on Committees Speaker of the House selects Select and Conference Committee members

(powerful!)

Committee Chairmen (House) Powerful – decides what is on the committee _________

1910 -- House Revolt transferred power to chairmen andaway from Speaker of the House

1910-1970 -- Chairmen chosen by __________ system

Member with the longest continuous service of majority party on committee is placed automatically as chair (whoever has been in the committee the longest is the chairman)

1970 reform – secret ballots of majority members elected chairmen, may only chair 1 committee, committee meetings usually public, increased staff size for all

Before 1970s, work was done primarily by chairmen behind closed doors Reforms gave more rights to members, especially with little seniority _____________________________________ but still very powerful In practice, most chairmen are still senior members

1995 Republican Reforms – 6 year term limits for House chairmen

Functions of Committees Proposed bills are assigned to specific committees, the comm. Controls the life or

death of the bill

11,000 bills are introduced in each 2 year session, committees weed the bad bills out

Pigeonholed – when a bill is put aside in a committee for possible future consideration majority of bills are forgotten forever and never make it out of committee

Those approved move to subcommittees who hold hearings over bill – supporters and critics of the bill appear at hearings and are questioned by subcommittee.

Bill is then ___________ (changed or rewritten) and returned to full committee where more alterations may be made

Sent to ________ Committee (House – decides on rules for the bill, may be amended by members, amount of debate) or straight to floor (Senate)

A Bill’s Destiny:

Option 1:_________ by committee or chair (not considered)

Option 2:_____________ (temporarily put aside for future consideration)

Option 3: ____________to subcommittee for further consideration