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U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
U.S. Congress
GOVT 2302: Congress
Patrick Brandt

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
Congress: Partisan and Local
• Members are partisan legislators who are organized by
party in Congress.
• Members serve local interests and are elected by local
constituencies

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
Examples
•
Members need to win reelection, so they have to cater to
district opinions on issues
• They also need to win favor with fellow members to stay
in good graces, function in committees, raise reelection
money.

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
Congress: love it or hate it?
But for all this, people hate Congress as an institution
•
Mark Twain called Congress a “distinctly native criminal
class.”
•
Woodrow Wilson described the House as “a disintegrated
mass of jarring elements.”
•
Members of Congress realize this and typically run for
Congress by running against it: claiming they are not like
the heathens in D.C.

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
Pressure of election
Reelection and election are important!!!
WHY?
Members want
•
Reelection
•
Leadership
• Good public policy

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
Requirements of membership:
•
House members: 25 years old, 7 yrs citizenship
• Senate members: 30 years old, 9 yrs citizenship
•
All must be residents of the state which they represent

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
Who are members?
•
OCCUPATIONS: Atypical occupations; Overrepresent law
and business; Underrepresent labor.
•
RELIGION: All major religions are represented, however,
most tend to be Protestant
•
EDUCATION: Highly educated, over 90% have advanced
degrees.
• INCOME: above average

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
•
MINORITIES: well below national averages
•
Blacks are currently about 10% of House, 1% of Senate
•
Hispanics are about 4% of the House, 0% in the Senate
• Women–gaining ground
•
AGE
• House members average: 51
•
Senate members average: 58

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
Congressional Organization
Basic facts to keep straight:
• The Congress is bicameral – meaning it has 2 legislative
houses or chambers, the House of Representatives and the
U.S. Senate.
•
House has 435 members elected from single member
districts. Senate has 100 members, 2 from each state

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
U.S. House
•
House is elected every two years and is presumed to be
“closer to the people.”
•
2 year terms.
•
Representatives based on state population.
• Apportionment by Bureau of Census: congressional
districts tend to have about 750,000 people.
• Redistricting by state legislatures

U.S. Congress
Patrick
Brandt
U.S. Senate
• Members elected by state-wide constituencies for six year
terms in staggered elections.
•
One-third elected every two years.