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 30% 65% 74% 23% 1997 36 60 80 17 1996 57 42 68 29 1995 30 65 84 11 1994 60 35 78 17 1993 47 53 84 15 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 95 1997 96 1996 96 1995 95 1994 95 1993 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 30% n/a 76% 48 % 1997 30 63 78 58 1996 35 64 81 58 1995 20 33 92 72 1994 30 56 91 76 1993 30 67 64 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 YORK 30 : West - Buffalo

Tucked on the shore of Lake Erie in western New York, the 30th contains most of the southern and eastern part of Buffalo and the portion of Erie County that lies south of the city. The region went through a transition in the 1990s, struggling to shed its high unemployment and Rust Belt image of the previous decade. Trade agreements giving Canadian businesses access to Buffalo's skilled labor market and lower taxes have helped to revive Buffalo's manufacturing sector.

Sports teams, particularly the Buffalo Bills football franchise, are the pride of the city and bring together a diverse population. Buffalo has the highest concentration of black residents in the district and also is home to a large Polish-American population. South Buffalo has a large Irish population. Buffalo also is the center for the 30th's blue-collar workers.

The 30th is mostly Democratic but can be volatile. The lake shore is home to business executives, while the rural outskirts of Erie County are socially conservative. Residents gave Clinton solid support in 1992 and '96 but sent a moderate Republican to Congress in 1992 after nine-term Democratic Rep. Henry J. Nowak retired.

Major Industry
Pharmaceutical production, grain milling, automobile parts

Population
580,818 (1990)

Cities
Buffalo (pt.), 214,978; Cheektowaga (unincorporated), 84,387; West Seneca (unincorporated), 47,866 (1990)

People
83% urban; 15% age 65+ (ranks ninth of 31 in state; top third nationally); 51% married couples, 22% married couples with children; 15% college educated (ranks 26 of 31 in state; bottom third nationally); 55% white collar (ranks 26 of 31 in state; middle third nationally), 28% blue collar (ranks fourth of 31 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
81% white, 17% black, 1% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$26,263 (ranks 24 of 31 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Buffalo is the flour milling capital of the world, producing 6.6 million pounds per day; All major cities in the northeastern part of North America are within a 500-mile radius of Buffalo.

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