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 20% 79% 95% 4% 1997 25 71 94 4 1996 35 65 95 4 1995 16 80 97 2 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 98 1996 99 1995 98	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 0% n/a 100% 100 % 1997 5 0 100 100 1996 0 0 100 100 1995 0 0 100 100
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

TENNESSEE 7 : West Central - Clarksville; part of Shelby County

Bordering Kentucky to the north and Mississippi to the south, the 7th begins with the wealthy suburbs of eastern Memphis and moves north to include two moderately sized cities, Clarksville and Columbia.

Inner-city decay and white flight have depopulated Memphis (in the 9th District) over the last few decades. Wealthy suburban bedroom communities in eastern Shelby and Fayette counties consequently grew, attracting Memphis commuters. Heading east and north, agriculture provides for rural counties, where corn, tobacco, hogs and cattle dominate.

At the northern end of the district, a few miles from the Kentucky border, Clarksville has benefited from diverse manufacturing and the expansion of Fort Campbell (just across the Kentucky border), which made the base one of the nation's five largest military facilities.

Democratic until the mid-1970s, the 7th is now a competitive district that leans slightly toward the GOP. The 7th's Shelby County is now the state's most solid Republican territory, but "Yellow Dog" Democrats outweigh Republican voters in Clarksville and surrounding rural sectors. In state elections, voters favor Democrats, but the district tends to vote for Republican presidential candidates. The GOP has held the congressional seat since the early 1980s, with support from socially conservative suburban, rural and military contingents.

Major Industry
Tobacco, cattle, auto manufacturing

Population
542,270 (1990)

Cities
Clarksville, 94,879; Columbia, 32,043; Germantown, 31,772 (1996)

People
43% rural, 41% urban; 10% age 65+ (ranks ninth of nine in state; bottom third nationally); 65% married couples, 32% married couples with children; 19% college educated (ranks second of nine in state; middle third nationally); 57% white collar (ranks second of nine in state; middle third nationally); 30% blue collar (ranks sixth of nine in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Race
86% white, 12% black, 1% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$29,242 (ranks first of nine in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Home of President James K. Polk in Columbia; Mule Day attracts 250,000 every April; Gov. Don Sundquist from Clarksville; Shiloh Park (mostly in the 4th) memorializes those who died during one of the bloodiest battles during the Civil War.

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