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 55% 39% 65% 29% 1997 59 40 66 33 1996 61 30 59 34 1995 59 40 56 43 1994 74 26 68 31 1993 71 29 70 29 1992 38 56 71 26 1991 41 53 64 26 1990 31 67 73 21 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 96 1997 98 1996 94 1995 99 1994 99 1993 99 1992 98 1991 92 1990 95	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 60% n/a 88% 41 % 1997 40 63 80 40 1996 45 55 56 47 1995 35 58 67 29 1994 30 44 83 67 1993 50 75 36 50 1992 65 58 38 50 1991 30 42 67 50 1990 44 58 54 29
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 8 : West - Jackson; part of Shelby County

The mighty Mississippi to the west and the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers to the east frame the rolling hills and flat farmland that make up the 8th. Except for Memphis' northern suburbs and Jackson, the district is overwhelmingly rural, Democratic and working class. Democrats have held this seat since Reconstruction. The sole Republican oasis is the district's slice of Shelby County, where young couples are moving in at a steady pace.

The district is among the nation's poorest, but a few manufacturing plants prevent the economy from slipping further. A Pringle's potato chip plant employs more than 1,000 in Jackson, and tire, auto and textile manufacturers are scattered throughout less-populated sectors. Mechanization has decreased factory employment but increased production on small farms. State and federal government also provide much-needed jobs via four large state prisons and a downsized, but still significant, naval air station in Millington.

The northern section of the Tennessee River feeds into Kentucky Lake in the northwest of the district. Besides hosting Tennessee Valley Authority dams and power plants, these large waterways draw many avid hunters and fisherman to the district. Also, thousands of bird watchers flock to Reel Foot Lake each winter to view the migration of hundreds of bald eagles.

Major Industry
Manufacturing, agriculture, government

Military Bases
Mid-South Naval Support Activity, 1,411 military, 1,782 civilian (1998)

Population
541,852 (1990)

Cities
Memphis (pt.), 60,834 (1990); Jackson, 50,406; Dyersburg, 18,658 (1997)

People
52% rural; 14% age 65+ (ranks second of nine in state; top third nationally); 60% married couples, 27% married couples with children; 10% college educated (ranks eighth of nine in state; bottom third nationally); 46% white collar (ranks eighth of nine in state; bottom third nationally), 38% blue collar (ranks second of nine in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Race
80% white, 20% black, 0% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$22,622 (ranks sixth of nine in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Civil War battles fought at Fort Donelson and Fort Pillow; Reel Foot Lake, one of the nation's largest freshwater lakes, born out of an earthquake in 1811; 65-foot tall replica Eiffel Tower in Paris.

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