Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Political Science

Advisor

David Jones

Subject Categories

Political Science

Abstract

Members of the United States Congress have a wide array of concerns when representing their respective districts and this includes re-election to office. Legislator responsiveness, a fundamental component to all democratic systems of government, plays a major role in the interaction that occurs between legislators and their constituents. However, many have argued that legislators are not responsive to their constituents when making legislative decisions. This study focuses on the election motives of members of Congress, with a special emphasis on competitiveness of a district as a driving force of legislator responsiveness. A quantitative analysis is conducted to search for correlation between the competitiveness of congressional districts and the roll call scores of legislators in Congress. I find some evidence suggesting that legislators are increasingly responsive in congressional districts that are increasingly competitive based off of district partisanship.

Share

COinS