Constituency Service

The Key to Reelection

Providing constituency services, helping the folks back home, is probably the most important thing a senator or representative can do to ensure reelection. It's usually as or more important than developing a reputation in some major but remote policy area.

Some indicators and examples

Billboard along I-95 outside of Wilmington

Thomas Carper - Delaware's Congressman
From the Washington Post National Weekly Edition, March 3, 1997
[Senator Alphonse D'Amato, R. NY] helped bail out the Anchor Glass Container Corporation of Elmira, saving 350 jobs and getting himself in the local papers as a "hero."
D'Amato was "thrilled" and "delighted" to introduce a bill to mint a medal honoring Frank Sinatra.
His current crusade, which gets his name in the papers and his face on television nearly everyday, is skerwing Swiss banks for their handling of Jewish assets from World War II.
"D'Amato has funneled millions of dollars intended for Senate races to state and local candidates in New York State.
Representative
I was attracted to [Interior and Insular Affairs committee], very frankly, because its a bread and butter committee for my state...I had vested interests I wanted to protect to be frank

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H. T. Reynolds
htr@udel.edu