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 41% 59% 66% 34% 1997 41 57 79 20 1996 47 53 83 17 1995 37 62 84 15 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 98 1996 100 1995 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 45% n/a 83% 48 % 1997 40 38 70 64 1996 10 9 88 70 1995 30 33 92 64
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 19 : Hudson Valley - Poughkeepsie

Despite its overall Republican tilt, the population in New York's 19th divides into two regions, each with its own political proclivities. At the northern end is Poughkeepsie and its outlying suburbs, where IBM remains the major employer despite a major plant closing and layoffs in the mid-1990s. These northern counties, with small towns and dairy farms, provide a conservative voting base for Republican candidates.

At the district's southern end are the densely packed bedroom communities of northern Westchester County. Republicans outnumber Democrats in this region, but most of the county's voters are moderate, making Westchester County competitive ground. The county also is home to the Sing Sing prison - its location on the Hudson gave rise to the euphemism about being "sent up the river."

Drawn by the groundwork built by IBM, technical and research firms have moved into the lower Hudson Valley. The district is also home to many of the nation's leading companies, including Reader's Digest and PepsiCo. The 19th also crosses the Hudson River to take in West Point Military Academy.

Major Industry
Computers, telecommunications, agriculture

Military Bases
West Point U.S. Military Academy, 1,057 military, 3,237 civilian; Stewart Army Subpost, 600 military, 724 civilian (1997)

Population
580,386 (1990)

Cities
Poughkeepsie, 27,808; Ossining Village, 22,788; Peekskill, 20,805 (1996)

People
67% urban; 11% age 65+ (ranks 25 of 31 in state; bottom third nationally); 64% married couples, 31% married couples with children; 32% college educated (ranks fifth of 31 in state; top third nationally); 69% white collar (ranks seventh of 31 in state; top third nationally), 18% blue collar (ranks 25 of 31 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
89% white, 7% black, 2% Asian; 5% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$50,329 (ranks third of 31 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Home and burial place of John Jay, president of the Continental Congress and first chief justice of the United States, in Katonah; Vassar and Marist colleges; Telegraph inventor Samuel F. B. Morse from Poughkeepsie.

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