Evaluate The View That The Most Important Factor Influencing How Senators/Congresspeople Vote In Congress Is Public Opinion In Their Constituency.(30)

Question 1

Paragraph One ➡️ Constituency vs Caucuses
- For: Public Opinion In The Constituency Is The Most Important Factor

Answer 1

• Democrat Senator Joe Manchin has often voted with the Republicans, in large part due to
  the fact he represents West Virginia which supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020. He was
  successfully reelected in 2018.
• The influence of constituency opinion can be seen in the fact that Senators/Congresspeople
  sometimes vote against the party line if they represent a marginal seat with a lot of voters who
  support the other party.

Question 2

• Paragraph One ➡️ Constituency vs Caucuses
• Against: Public Opinion In The Constituency Isn’t The Most Important Factor

Answer 2

– Many of the 21 House Republicans and 15 Senators who voted against the $95B foreign
aid package to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in April 2024 belong to the House Freedom
Caucus, including Lauren Boebert.
- Caucuses are different factions within and between political parties who often vote together
and act as a group in order to increase their importance and influence.
Members of Congress’ caucus membership will normally reflect their convictions and
political beliefs and they will come together with other members in these caucuses to
promote a shared policy direction.

Question 3

Paragraph Two ➡️ Parties vs Constituency
Against: Public Opinion In The Constituency Isn’t The Most Important Factor

Answer 3

• In recent years, the influence of parties in determining how members of Congress vote can be
  seen in the fact that key pieces of legislation have been passed with voting completely along
  party lines.
  – The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed in 2017 with unified Republican support but no
  Democrats voting in favour, whilst the same can be said of both the American Rescue Plan
  2021 and Inflation Reduction Act 2021, two key pieces of legislation passed under Biden’s
  Presidency.

Question 4

Paragraph Two ➡️ Parties vs Constituency
- For: Public Opinion In The Constituency Is The Most Important Factor

Answer 4

• As US society is becoming more divided, voters are less supportive of Senators and
  Congresspeople cooperating with the other party and representatives risk failing to be
  reelected if they do so.
  Representatives are therefore now more likely to vote long party lines even if it is on a
  position they personally oppose.
  – only 10 Republicans in the House supported the second
  impeachment of Trump in 2022, despite many initially opposing Trump when he stood
  for the Republican nomination in 2016 and there being clear evidence for Trump’s
  impeachment.
  Due to the Republican Party base’s strong support for Trump, Republican members of
  Congress would’ve placed themselves at great risk of not being reelected if they voted
  to impeach.

Question 5

Paragraph Three ➡️ Interest Groups and Lobbyists vs
Constituency
- Against: Public Opinion In The Constituency Isn’t The Most Important Factor

Answer 5

Representatives are therefore likely to vote in line with their priorities in order to secure these
campaign contributions, which will help them get reelected.
The NRA, for example, has a massive budget for lobbying, campaign contributions, and
public relations efforts, raising over $250M each year.
– This influence can be seen in the fact that over the past two decades, the NRA has been
successful in preventing any federal legislation that limits gun rights, despite numerous
school shootings.

Question 6

Paragraph Three ➡️ Interest Groups and Lobbyists vs
Constituency
For: Public Opinion In The Constituency Is The Most Important Factor

Answer 6

-As a result, Senators and members of the House of Representatives are unlikely to vote in
line with an interest group/lobbyist’s views if this vote would be unpopular among their
constituents.
– Senator Joe Manchin has consistently opposed legislation that might
adversely affect the coal industry due to the importance of coal mining to his West Virginia
constituency. He opposed the Build Back Better Act due to provisions that would have
significantly impacted the coal and fossil fuel industries, such as the Clean Electricity
Performance Program (CEPP).
This is despite him facing major criticism and pressure from interest groups that
advocate for environmental protection and radical policies to tackle climate change,
including Greenpeace.