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% 78% 91% 4% 1997 28 69 88 5 1996 37 61 95 4 1995 17 81 98 2 1994 37 63 95 2 1993 27 73 94 2 1992 84 12 85 9 1991 84 16 86 10 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 92 1997 93 1996 96 1995 99 1994 98 1993 97 1992 95 1991 97	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 0% n/a 88% 100 % 1997 10 0 100 96 1996 5 9 94 100 1995 0 0 100 96 1994 0 11 83 100 1993 0 0 100 96 1992 10 25 88 100 1991 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

TEXAS 3 : Northeast Dallas suburbs; Plano

Most of the 3rd's population comes from suburban Dallas, but the district extends northward to take in much of Collin County as well. Before its boundaries were altered by a federal court in 1996, the 3rd was a bastion of affluence and power. Although the alterations removed wealthy areas like Highland Park and University Park and added a section of Plano's black neighborhoods, the district remains economically well-off, white and Republican.

Collin continues to see tremendous growth as Dallas sprawls northward. Many corporate headquarters have moved into the Plano area, and wealthy executives have built half-million-dollar homes in sections like Deerfield. The concentration of electronic and telecommunications firms along U.S. 75 has earned that area the name, "Telecom Corridor." Richardson has benefited greatly from such companies and is growing at a rapid rate. Frisco also is undergoing a population and development boom. The district has middle-class areas like Mesquite, which has just over 100,000 residents, and Garland, which grew 37 percent from 1980 to 1994. Virtually all of Garland and about half of Mesquite are in the 3rd. Although downtown Dallas is in the 30th, its white-collar companies rely heavily on the 3rd for their workforce.

The district is solidly Republican - Collin County is filled with young, upwardly mobile professionals and is even more Republican than the Dallas suburbs. The district, which in general is fiscally conservative and holds traditional views, votes Republican at local, state and national levels.

Major Industry
Telecommunications, transportation, banking

Population
567,383 (1990)

Cities
Dallas (pt.),162,727; Garland (pt.), 136,125; Plano (pt.), 88,953 (1990)

People
96% urban; 5% age 65+ (ranks 30 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 61% married couples, 34% married couples with children; 36% college educated (ranks third of 30 in state; top third nationally); 73% white collar (ranks third of 30 in state; top third nationally), 17% blue collar (ranks 27 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
84% white, 7% black, 4% Asian; 8% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$41,683 (ranks first of 30 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Plano has one of the nation's lowest crime rates, ranking seventh for cities over 100,000.

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