Kings of the Hill? An Examination of Centrist Behavior in the U.S. Senate

Objectives. Spatial voting literature on Congress indicates that the most powerful members are the ones who sit in the ideological center. This study examines how pivotal voters use that power in their participation in Congress. Methods. This study examines two modes of congressional participation o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science quarterly 2017-11, Vol.98 (5), p.1250-1263
Main Author: Chaturvedi, Neilan S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amendments
Centrism
Constituents
Health care
Health services
Institutional Politics
Kings
Legislatures
Participation
Power
Prospects
Speeches
Voters
Voting
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Summary:Objectives. Spatial voting literature on Congress indicates that the most powerful members are the ones who sit in the ideological center. This study examines how pivotal voters use that power in their participation in Congress. Methods. This study examines two modes of congressional participation on two highly salient health-care bills—the filing of amendments and the delivery of floor speeches. Results. This study finds that pivotal voters shy away from the legislative limelight. Pivotal voters choose to avoid the public eye by rarely proposing amendments or delivering floor speeches on these bills. Conclusions. While theoretically pivotal, centrists who play the role of pivotal voters are more concerned about their electoral prospects than their legislative prowess and, as a result, defer congressional participation to party and committee leaders so as to avoid the ire of constituents.
ISSN:0038-4941
1540-6237
DOI:10.1111/ssqu.12362