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 68% 32% 82% 18% 1997 69 29 83 15 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 98	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 90% n/a 61% 24 % 1997 80 86 50 16
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 YORK 4 : Southwest Nassau County - Hempstead; Mineola

Wealthy New York City suburbanites and Wall Street commuters populate much of the 4th, which consumes the southwest corner of Long Island's Nassau County and borders eastern Queens. Median household income in the district is the second highest in New York.

With the largest minority population of Long Island's suburban congressional districts, Democrats have a base to draw on in the 4th, particularly in Hempstead and Uniondale, which include large black and Hispanic communities. The affluent and largely Jewish "Five Towns" (Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere and Hewlett) are located in the 4th's southwestern corner and lean Democratic. But overall voter registration heavily favors the GOP, whose party headquarters is located in Republican stronghold Mineola.

District politics were competitive in the 1990s, with independent and socially moderate voters electing four different representatives during the decade. The district elected mostly Republicans until 1996, when voters chose a pro-gun-control Democrat and then re-elected her in 1998. The district voted for Clinton in both his presidential bids, overwhelmingly so in 1996.

Some of the political upheaval may be tied to economic turmoil that began with the 1980s decline of the defense industry on which Long Island was heavily dependent. The district continues to rebuild and diversify, focusing on technology and small business.

Major Industry
Health care, higher education

Population
580,492 (1990)

Cities
Hempstead, 46,609 (1996); East Meadow (unincorporated), 36,909 (1990); Valley Stream, 34,091 (1996)

People
100% urban; 15% age 65+ (ranks 10 of 31 in state; top third nationally); 65% married couples, 28% married couples with children; 26% college educated (ranks ninth of 31 in state; top third nationally); 69% white collar (ranks seventh of 31 in state; top third nationally), 24% blue collar (ranks 25 of 31 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
Non-Hispanic: 74% white, 16% black, 3% Asian; 7% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$50,887 (ranks second of 31 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Charles Lindbergh departed for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Mineola.

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