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 22% 35% 86% 7% S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 0% n/a 100% 83 %
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 MEXICO 1 : Central - Albuquerque

Built around Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest and fastest growing city, the 1st is the only urban district in a mostly desert state. Since the A-bomb was developed in 1945 in Los Alamos (less than 100 miles north in the 3rd District), Albuquerque has seen its population grow from 35,000 in 1940 to about 420,000 today as a scientific community grew up around military, research and aerospace industries.

While the defense industry declined around the nation during the 1990s, Albuquerque's research and defense sectors continued to prosper. Anchored with Sandia National Laboratories, which has been managed by Lockheed Martin since 1993, the 1st has attracted a slew of defense, biotechnology and semiconductor firms drawn to Albuquerque's 50-year history as a scientific community. The most recent businesses moving to the district include electronic and communication companies, including Intel.

The district tends to vote Democratic at the local level, and registered Democrats have an edge over Republicans. But most congressional representatives have been moderate Republicans with fiscally conservative, defense-oriented platforms. Reliably Democratic voters include the large state and local government workforce and residents of the Hispanic South Valley. Much of the district's Republican vote is cast in Albuquerque's upper-middle-class Northeast Heights.

Major Industries
Higher education, scientific research, government

Military Bases
Kirtland Air Force Base, 5,600 military, 5,400 civilian (1998)

Population
505,329 (1990)

Cities
Albuquerque (pt.), 410,681 (1996); South Valley (unincorporated), 35,701; North Valley (unincorporated), 12,507 (1990)

People
90% urban; 11% age 65+ (ranks second of three in state; bottom third nationally); 53% married couples, 26% married couples with children; 26% college educated (ranks first of three in state; top third nationally); 65% white collar (ranks first of three in state; top third nationally), 20% blue collar (ranks third of three in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
78% white, 3% black, 1% Asian; 38% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$27,074 (ranks first of three in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
International Balloon Fiesta, world's largest hot air balloon event.

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