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% 66% 78% 22% 1997 39 61 86 13 1996 34 66 91 9 1995 25 75 90 9 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 99 1996 99 1995 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 10% n/a 94% 63 % 1997 15 0 90 80 1996 0 0 100 100 1995 15 0 96 72
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

NEW HAMPSHIRE 2 : West - Concord; Nashua

The 2nd, which encompasses the entire western half of the state, spans from white-collar territory in the southern tier to the mountains and forests of the sparsely populated "North Country."

The district has an economy as varied as its population. Many of the upwardly mobile refugees from "Taxachusetts," who reside along the populous southern tier of the district in towns such as Salem, Windham and Atkinson, still work across the state line. Nashua, the 2nd's largest city, has experienced ups and downs with industries deeply involved in computers and defense electronics. The economy of the heavily forested "North Country" is closely tied to paper manufacturing and wood products. In between lie smaller blue-collar towns, many of which depend on tourist dollars from lake visitors and skiers.

Throughout most of the 20th century, the 2nd was regarded as one of the nation's most rock-ribbed Republican districts. But it has become more competitive in recent years. Not only did the district vote Democratic in the 1992 and '96 presidential elections, but it elected a Democrat to Congress in 1990 and '92. The liberal college towns of Hanover and Keene, as well as state capital Concord, provide reliable Democratic votes, while the northern counties tend to lean Republican. Prior to the 1998 election, the district consistently sent Republicans to the state legislature. But in 1998 the Democratic governor's coattails proved to be unusually large and the 2nd elected enough Democrats for the party to take control of the state Senate for the first time since 1912.

Major Industry
Defense electronics, computer technology, health care

Population
554,949 (1990)

Cities
Nashua, 81,094; Concord, 37,021; Keene 22,325 (1997)

People
53% rural; 12% age 65+ (ranks first of two in state, middle third nationally); 61% married couples, 30% married couples with children; 25% college educated (ranks first of two in state, top third nationally); 60% white collar (ranks second of two in state, middle third nationally), 27% blue collar (ranks first of two in state, middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
98% white, 1% black, 1% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$36,145 (ranks second of two in state, top third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
"Old Man of the Mountain" stone profile - source for the state emblem - located in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains.

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