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 33% 67% 79% 21% 1997 37 63 83 17 1996 39 61 82 18 1995 29 71 85 15 1994 49 51 83 17 1993 51 49 76 24 1992 57 43 78 22 1991 60 40 78 21 1990 61 39 89 11 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 100 1997 99 1996 100 1995 100 1994 100 1993 100 1992 99 1991 99 1990 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 15% n/a 89% 56 % 1997 25 13 90 80 1996 10 0 94 85 1995 25 0 100 72 1994 35 33 92 67 1993 35 33 82 67 1992 30 50 88 72 1991 25 25 100 80 1990 17 17 93 71
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

MICHIGAN 6 : Southwest - Kalamazoo; Benton Harbor; St. Joseph

Lush forests in Michigan's southwest corner make the 6th a prime spot for tourists and orchards. Cherries and peaches grow in the fruit belt that extends north from Benton Harbor - once a stop on the Underground Railroad - and St. Joseph through Van Buren County. Many affluent Chicagoans keep second homes in the wooded area along the Lake Michigan shoreline, which has become known as "Harbor County."

Kalamazoo, the 6th's most populous city by far, has a strong and diverse manufacturing economy. Cities throughout the district have escaped dependence on Detroit's auto-maker economy. Both home appliance-manufacturer Whirlpool Corp. and pharmaceutical-maker Pharmacia & Upjohn built their world headquarters in the district. Education is another economic pillar, led by Western Michigan U.'s 20,000 students.

Kalamazoo's blue-collar workforce makes it one of the few Democratic parts of the 6th. But the city's voters are no match for the Republican influences in the district - Kalamazoo's conservative Dutch heritage, white-collar corporate managers and rural conservatives. All combine to make the 6th a moderate-to-conservative district. Republicans still easily win local elections, but, like most of the state, the district voted for Clinton by a small margin in 1992 and '96.

Major Industry
Manufacturing, higher education, agriculture

Population
580,973 (1990)

Cities
Kalamazoo, 77,460; Portage, 43,317 (1996)

People
42% urban, 51% rural; 12% age 65+ (ranks ninth of 16 in state; middle third nationally); 57% married couples, 26% married couples with children; 19% college educated (ranks fifth of 16 in state; middle third nationally); 53% white collar (ranks ninth of 16 in state; middle third nationally), 31% blue collar (ranks seventh of 16 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Race
88% white, 10% black, 1% Asian; 2% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$28,453 (ranks 11 of 16 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
First outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the United States built in Kalamazoo in 1959.

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