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 80% 18% 90% 6% 1997 77 21 91 5 1996 75 20 92 6 1995 82 15 89 9 1994 69 31 94 2 1993 77 22 96 1 1992 16 80 93 5 1991 29 68 90 7 1990 19 76 90 5 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 95 1997 96 1996 96 1995 97 1994 97 1993 97 1992 96 1991 96 1990 95	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 100% n/a 33% 4 % 1997 100 100 30 4 1996 100 100 13 0 1995 100 100 17 4 1994 100 100 25 0 1993 100 100 9 4 1992 100 83 25 0 1991 100 83 20 5 1990 94 100 23 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

MASSACHUSETTS 4 : Boston suburbs - Newton; New Bedford; part of Fall River

Downtowns replete with 18th- and 19th-century Town Hall buildings dot the Yankee communities in the 4th, several of which recently celebrated 300th or 350th anniversaries. The 4th's saxophone shape encompasses thickly settled Boston suburbs, rural cranberry bogs and urban Fall River and New Bedford.

While the northern well-to-do towns and Boston suburbs benefited from a strong economy in the 1990s, the southern fishing and former textile mill communities struggled to stave off double-digit unemployment. In Fall River and New Bedford, the textile industry declined to almost nothing in the early 1990s, while over-fishing idled commercial fishermen. In the 4th's center, cranberry bogs in Middleborough and biotech firms further north supplied that region with nearly full employment.

The blue-collar, immigrant-laden southern section of the district votes Democratic. Northeastern towns around Hanson and Pembroke had a Republican representative before the last redistricting, but Democratic Rep. Frank's popularity and the large number of independent voters have obscured any GOP leanings. In the northwest, the wealthy towns of Wellesley, Dover and Sherborn vote Republican, while well-to-do Newton and Brookline go for liberal Democrats.

Major Industry
Fishing, cranberries, health care, textile manufacturing

Population
601,392 (1990)

Cities
New Bedford, 96,903; Newton, 80,238 (1996); Brookline, 54,718 (1990)

People
71% urban; 14% age 65+ (ranks sixth of 10 in state; top third nationally); 57% married couples, 27% married couples with children; 31% college educated (ranks second of 10 in state; top third nationally); 66% white collar (ranks fourth of 10 in state; top third nationally), 22% blue collar (ranks fourth of 10 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
94% white, 2% black, 2% Asian; 2% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$39,005 (ranks fourth of 10 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Fig Newtons originated in Newton, Mass.; Lizzie Borden hailed from Fall River; Former Gov. Michael S. Dukakis commuted downtown by trolley from his home in Brookline.

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