Congressional Representation
Small group discussion What constitutes good representation? What characteristics of a representative would make you feel like he or she should do a good job representing you and your interests? What behavior should a good representative engage in? When, if ever, should a representative put his constituents’ interests aside and think of the greater good? You will turn your notes in for participation credit.
Values associated with representation Looking like me, having my background –“Symbolic representation” Rep. uses own judgment to act on my behalf –“Representative-as-delegate” Doing exactly what I would do –“Representative as agent” Communication with me
How do voters decide? Heuristics: Party ID Name recognition Incumbency!
Sources of incumbent advantage Voters recognize their name Gerrymandering Privileges of office Ease of raising money
How do voters decide? Heuristics Campaigns
Cost of campaigns House races: Ave. expenditures: $693,952 Incumbents’ ave. expenditures: $814,507 Challengers’ ave. expenditures: $369,823
Where does money come from?
Budget of a typical House campaign
Who gets elected? White men
Who gets elected? White men Lawyers Christians Previously elected officials
Why would anyone run for Congress? Given those motivations, how can we the people ensure that members of Congress pay attention to their constituents?
Why would someone run for Congress? Patriotism Power and ego Policy goals Political career ambition
How can you ensure that MC’s pay attention to their constituents? Choose people of good character Strict anti-corruption rules Align their personal interests with the interests of their constituents
The re-election motive Must get re-elected to further any other goals Must act in ways that will get them re- elected
Mayhew’s argument Assume that members of Congress only want to get re-elected. –Is that a valid assumption? Does this assumption hold for both marginal and safe districts?
Median Voter Theorem (Downs) Assume that Ideology and issue positions are normally distributed in the population In a winner-take-all system, candidates will try to get one more vote than the other candidate by moving toward the center. Goal is to win over the “median voter”
What could a member of Congress do to improve his or her re-election chances? Make sure resource balance favors him/her Advertising—create a favorable image Credit claiming—especially particularized benefits Position-taking
The incumbent advantage is at least partially due to the incumbent’s own efforts to get re- elected. Pleasing the constituents is a big part of those efforts.