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 61% 37% 70% 27% 1997 67 33 74 26 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 97 1997 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 80% n/a 61% 40 % 1997 60 88 70 36
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

TEXAS 1 : Northeast - Texarkana; Marshall

The 1st wraps around Texas' northeastern corner along the Oklahoma and Arkansas borders near the city of Texarkana, then stretches south to include parts of Nacogdoches County. Mostly removed from the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs, the district has a rural landscape and a Southern feel that's harder to find in the rest of the state. Nearly three-fourths of its population are native Texans; the state average stands at 67 percent.

The economic dominance of natural resources - timber, oil and natural gas - has diminished since the oil bust of the 1980s and the rise of the manufacturing sector, which now drives the economy. The 1st still faces some economic challenges from foreign timber companies and cattle ranchers who can sell their products at lower prices. A small but significant defense industry is centered around Greenville, which is shared with the 4th. Slow population growth and miles of forests and agricultural land are hallmarks of the district but do less to improve its economic shape than the highways that connect the district to the outside world.

Residents of the 1st tend to be conservative, even among Democrats, and the region has been called the "buckle of the Bible Belt." A bastion of political populism, the district has the highest percentage of elderly residents in the state and provides strong support for the GOP in the western portions of the 1st. Conservative Democrats still run well along the eastern border near Arkansas and Louisiana.

Major Industry
Timber, light manufacturing, agriculture

Military Bases
Red River Army Depot, 3 military, 1,754 civilian (1998)

Population
565,594 (1990)

Cities
Texarkana, 32,462 (1996); Longview (pt.), 30,695 (1990); Paris, 25,101 (1996)

People
56% rural; 16% age 65+ (ranks first of 30 in state; top third nationally); 60% married couples, 27% married couples with children; 13% college educated (ranks 25 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 47% white collar (ranks 26 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally), 32% blue collar (ranks second of 30 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Race
79% white, 18% black, 0% Asian; 3% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$21,697 (ranks 23 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
The city of Texarkana is split between Texas and Arkansas - it has two mayors, two police forces and two school systems; It's also the birthplace of Ross Perot.

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