SECURING INFLUENCE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONGRESSIONAL TENURE AND VOTING BEHAVIOR
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Congressional members are influenced by several competing factors when they cast their vote on a bill, including party influence, their desire to win re-election, and the concerns of their constituents. The literature provides reason to believe that newer members of Congress would be more likely to vote in support of a bill sponsored by a member of their own political party so as to secure influence in their political party and Congress. This project conducted a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of the voting behavior of Congress members during five congressional sessions over a 20-year period to determine if senior members of Congress were more likely to vote against a bill sponsored by a member of their party. Findings suggest that newer members are more likely to vote against their party; this could be to distinguish themselves and ultimately gain influence in their political party and Congress.
Publication Date
5-1-2021
Language
English
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Matthews, Carrington, "SECURING INFLUENCE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONGRESSIONAL TENURE AND VOTING BEHAVIOR" (2021). 2021 Spring Honors Capstone Projects. 35.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_spring2021/35