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I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends: Leveraging Campaign Resources to Maximize Congressional Power
Author(s) -
BoxSteffensmeier Janet M.,
Campbell Benjamin W.,
Podob Andrew W.,
Walker Seth J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of political science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.347
H-Index - 170
eISSN - 1540-5907
pISSN - 0092-5853
DOI - 10.1111/ajps.12528
Subject(s) - leverage (statistics) , political science , power (physics) , position (finance) , institution , public relations , function (biology) , state (computer science) , public administration , business , law , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , finance , algorithm , machine learning , evolutionary biology , biology
Central to the study of Congress is the study of relationships among members. Electoral collaboration is a function of a member's position in the broader congressional power network. It allows members to leverage their campaign resources to achieve the four classic goals of members of Congress: reelection, making good public policy, obtaining power within the institution, and having one's party in the majority. Using nearly 3.2 million FEC records from 2010 to 2016, we explore the dynamics that influence electoral collaboration. We find members are most likely to collaborate electorally with other members from the same state, party, and committee, and the most electorally vulnerable. Further, party leaders share most frequently with the rank and file. These findings build upon our expanding understanding of congressional collaboration, the networks members of Congress form, and the congressional power structure members operate within.