388 Chapter 11 | Congressthat tout their good deeds on behalf of constituents, and solicit citizens’ requests for
help through their newsletters and websites. Most House members have a “How can
I help?” type of link on their home page that connects to information on government
agencies, grants, internships, service academies, and visiting Washington, D.C.
Most House members work their districts to an extreme; they are said to be in the
“Tuesday to Thursday Club,” meaning they are in Washington only during the middle
of the week and spend the rest of their time at home in their districts. These members go
to diners and coffee shops on Saturday mornings to chat, spend the day at public events
in their “Meet Your Representative” RV, then hit the bowling alleys at night to meet a few
more people. One member has even joked that his wife has given up sending him out for
groceries because he spends three hours talking with people while getting a loaf of bread.
This combination of factors gives incumbents substantial advantages over
candidates who might run against them. By virtue of their position, they can help
constituents who have problems with an agency or a program. They attract media
attention because of their actions in office; small local newspapers will even reprint
members’ press releases verbatim. Members can use the money and other resources
associated with their position for casework and contact with voters (trips home to
their district and the salaries of their staffers who do constituency service are taxpayer
funded). And they use their official position as a platform for raising campaign cash. A
contributor who donates as a way to gain access to the policy-making process will be
inclined to give to someone already in office. Finally, most incumbents represent states
or districts whose partisan balance (the number of likely supporters of their party
versus the number likely to prefer the other party) is skewed in their favor—if it weren’t,
they probably wouldn’t have won the seat in the first place.National Forces in Congressional Elections There is also another consequence
of the electoral connection. Because congressional politics tends to be local, voters
generally are not strongly influenced by the president or the national parties. Because
most incumbents can insulate themselves from national forces, it is more difficult to
hold members of Congress accountable. For example, in the 2016 elections 62 percent
of the people believed the nation was “on the wrong track.” Yet 97 percent of House
incumbents won reelection.House reelection rates have gone
upwards of 80 percent for decades,
but incumbents still campaign
vigorously. Congressman Dana
Rohrabacher (R-CA) is shown here
celebrating his primary win ahead of
the general election. He ultimately lost
his reelection bid to Democrat Harley
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