CQ Voting Studies are an annual analysis of a member's support or opposition to a given position. Interest Group Ratings are based on rankings from groups chosen to represent liberal, conservative, business and labor viewpoints.Voting Participation scores are based on the number of times a member voted "yea" or "nay" on roll call votes (not including quorum calls in the House). CQ Vote Studies Year Presidential Support Party Unity   S* O* S O 1998 84% 13% 90% 5% 1997 67 28 83 8 1996 80 20 93 7 1995 77 15 86 9 1994 69 23 81 6 1993 75 21 90 6 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 94 1997 93 1996 98 1995 93 1994 86 1993 95	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 100% n/a 28% 8 % 1997 80 100 44 10 1996 85 91 31 15 1995 80 100 23 12 1994 80 100 25 29 1993 90 100 9 4
Note on Interest Groups: ADA=Americans for Democratic Action; AFL-CIO=American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations; CCUS=Chamber of Commerce of the United States; ACU=American Conservative Union

ALABAMA 7 : West Central - Parts of Birmingham, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa

The 7th combines the inner-city sections of Birmingham, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa, once the battlegrounds of civil rights, with poor, rural communities. In contrast to its white, well-to-do neighbor, the Republican 6th District, the 7th's residents tend to be lower- to middle-class blacks who vote overwhelmingly Democratic. Redistricting in 1992 solidified a Democratic lock on the 7th and paved the way for Alabama's first black member of Congress.

While the neighboring 6th's part of Birmingham has prospered, the densely populated downtown portion of the 7th, known as the "finger," has been left behind. Still, there are some signs of revitalization, such as new museums, a new theme park and the restoration of old buildings into high-rent apartments. And despite the struggles, several steel plants and communications firms have kept unemployment down.

Near Tuscaloosa, a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance now tops an industrial sector that complements small- to medium-sized businesses. The 7th also includes state capital buildings in downtown Montgomery, but more and more city residents are moving east, into the 2nd District's part of the city. The Black Belt, named for the traditionally rich, cotton-growing soil in rural, west-central Alabama, accounts for the rest of the district. Seven of the eight counties with Alabama's highest poverty rates are in the 7th's portion of the Black Belt.

Major Industry
Agriculture, higher education, manufacturing

Population
577,430 (1990)

Cities
Birmingham (pt.), 183,414; Montgomery (pt.), 67,007; Tuscaloosa (pt.), 41,137 (1990)

People
64% urban; 14% age 65+ (ranks second of seven in state; top third nationally); 44% married couples, 20% married couples with children; 11% college educated (ranks sixth of seven in state; bottom third nationally); 45% white collar (ranks fifth of seven in state; bottom third nationally), 34% blue collar (ranks third of seven in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Race
32% white, 67% black, 0% Asian; 0% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$16,560 (ranks seventh of seven in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
"Ghost town" of Cahawba, near Selma, was Alabama's first capital but now is an archaeological site.

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