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David Mayhew's 1974 thesis on the "electoral connection" and its
impact on legislative behavior is the theoretical foundation for
research on the modern U.S. Congress. Mayhew contends that once in
office, legislators pursue the actions that put them in the best
position for reelection. The electoral connection is a post-World
War II phenomenon, but legislative scholars now suggest that
Mayhew's argument applies to earlier congressional eras. To assess
these claims, Carson and Sievert investigate whether earlier
legislators were motivated by the same factors that influence their
behavior today, especially in pursuit of reelection. They examine
how electoral incentives shape legislative behavior throughout the
nineteenth century by looking at patterns of turnover in Congress;
the re-nomination of candidates; the roles of parties in recruiting
candidates, and by extension their broader effects on candidate
competition; and, finally by examining legislators' accountability.
The results have wide-ranging implications for the evolution of
Congress and the development of various legislative institutions
over time.
David Mayhew's (1974) thesis regarding the "electoral connection"
and its impact on legislative behavior has become the theoretical
foundation for much of the existing research on the modern U.S.
Congress. In its most basic form, Mayhew's theory contends that
once in office, legislators pursue whatever actions put them in the
best position to achieve reelection. The electoral connection has
traditionally been considered a phenomenon of the post-World War II
environment, but legislative scholars have begun to suggest that
Mayhew's argument applies to politics in earlier congressional eras
as well. To assess these disparate claims more systematically,
Carson and Sievert investigate whether legislators in earlier
historical eras were motivated by many of the same factors that
influence their behavior today, especially with regard to the
pursuit of reelection. In this respect, they examine the role of
electoral incentives in shaping legislative behavior across a wide
swath of the nineteenth century. This entails looking at patterns
of turnover in Congress across this period, the politics underlying
renomination of candidates, the changing role of parties in
recruiting candidates to run and its broader effect on candidate
competition, as well as electoral accountability across a variety
of dimensions. The results have wide-ranging implications for the
evolution of Congress and the development of various legislative
institutions over time.
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