District Complexity and the Personal Vote

Abstract

Incumbents tend to win with higher margins in less ideologically constrained districts. I argue that incumbents are advantaged by this electoral landscape in part because they work harder to cultivate a personal vote. Utilizing data on earmarks, I find that despite winning with a larger margin of victory, these incumbents act much like their colleagues who narrowly escaped electoral defeat. By more accurately measuring perceptions of electoral vulnerability, we also see stronger evidence linking district marginality to distributive politics. Such incentives appear to stem not from the risks of position taking, but from the weaker party attachments among constituents.

Appropriators not Position Takers: The Distorting Effects of Electoral Incentives on Congressional Representation

“…Senators’ home styles align on a spectrum, ranging from senators who focus on broad public policy, issue‐oriented senators, to senators who focus on distributive spending, appropriators . This spectrum reveals that the measures of home styles are politically interesting—it parallels a spectrum originally considered in Fenno (), described in other studies (Wichowsky ), and expected from formal models (Ashworth and Bueno de Mesquita ; Weingast, Shepsle, and Johnsen ).…”

“…For example, Fenno describes a group of legislators “along a spectrum ranging from a style that is heavily weighted toward the cultivation of personal relationships to a style that is heavily weighted toward the discussion of policy issues” (1978, 61). Wichowsky () suggests a similar trade‐off in congressional activity. The balance of position taking and credit claiming is also theoretically relevant because it corresponds with trade‐offs predicted in formal models of Congress and congressional elections (Ashworth and Bueno de Mesquita ; Weingast, Shepsle, and Johnsen ).…”

“…To compete on personal characteristics, legislators cultivate a personal vote or valence characteristics (Cain, Ferejohn, and Fiorina ; Fenno ). One way to cultivate this personal vote is to claim credit for distributive spending in the district—either through earmarks or federal grants (Stein and Bickers ; Wichowsky )…”

“…The mixed effects of articulating positions make it more attractive for marginal representatives to use credit‐claiming home styles to cultivate leeway (Ashworth and Bueno de Mesquita ; Fenno ). Credit claiming is an effective tool for cultivating leeway because it allows a representative to appear as a nonpartisan advocate for the community, delivering distributive benefits to the state (Wichowsky ). Creating the impression of delivering funds to the state allows legislators to cultivate personal support with the distinct constituencies (Lazarus ; Stein and Bickers ).…”

Let Me Tell You a Little Bit about Myself: Biographical Appeals in Congressional General Election Campaign Advertising

“…Further, focusing on one's biography can improve a candidate's chances of winning an election. Members of Congress develop home styles to create a “personal vote” among their constituents (Fenno ; Primo and Snyder ; Wichowsky ). Campaigns like to focus on issues where their candidate has developed a positive reputation (Arbour ), and boost their electoral fortunes when they turn the agenda to their reputation (Sellers ).…”