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 77% 22% 88% 12% 1997 80 20 88 12 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 97 1997 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 95% n/a 59% 12 % 1997 90 88 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

OREGON 5 : Willamette Valley, Pacific Coast - Salem; Corvallis

Oregon City, the western terminus of the 2,000-mile Oregon Trail, in 1844 became the first incorporated city west of the Mississippi River. For settlers who made the five-month journey from Independence, Mo., the town marked the end of an arduous trek to Oregon's fertile Willamette Valley. The 5th covers the northern part of that valley, then spills over the Coast Ranges to cover two Pacific counties, Tillamook and Lincoln.

The Willamette Valley has Oregon's most fertile farmland, which still drives the state's profitable trade in greenhouse crops, seeds and berries. Once exclusively dependent on agriculture and timber, the district's economy has diversified and now supports environmental research, high-tech manufacturing and tourism. Although bound by urban growth limits, Portland's residential suburbs are expanding into Clackamas County.

In the 1990s, the 5th sent four different people to Congress, alternating between Republicans and Democrats. Corvallis, home to Oregon State U., is the district's most liberal region. Its Democratic voters are joined by the left-leaning coastal counties. Polk County, in the district's center, votes generally Republican. But more than 70 percent of the district's residents live in two unpredictable counties, Clackamas and Marion, that have a large number of independent, swing voters.

Major Industry
Agriculture, lumber, paper, food processing

Population
568,712 (1990)

Cities
Salem, 122,566 (1996); Corvallis (pt.), 44,737 (1990); West Linn, 20,141 (1996)

People
42% urban, 35% rural; 14% age 65+ (ranks third of five in state; middle third nationally); 60% married couples, 27% married couples with children; 21% college educated (ranks second of five in state; middle third nationally); 56% white collar (ranks third of five in state; middle third nationally), 24% blue collar (ranks fourth of five in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
94% white, 1% black, 2% Asian; 5% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$28,608 (ranks second of five in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
End of the Oregon Trail museum; Oregon Coast Aquarium.

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