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 80% 18% 84% 14% 1997 77 23 85 14 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 95 1997 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 90% n/a 33% 16 % 1997 75 88 50 24
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 9 : Southeast - Beaumont; Galveston

From the suburbs east of Houston to the Gulf of Mexico, the 9th is oil country. Its largest cities, Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur, are heavily involved in the production and distribution of petroleum products. When the bottom fell out of the oil industry in the 1980s, unemployment in the district skyrocketed. Many of the district's towns lost population, though they slowly regained people throughout the 1990s. The land between Houston and the coast doesn't yield many crops but instead contains NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, refineries and shipbuilding facilities. The district also is dependent on coastal industries, including ship repair and commercial fishing.

Due to the large number of factory jobs, the district is one of the few in Texas where unions wield significant political power. But liberal politics can be a tough sell in these parts, where local Republicans often garner 50 percent or more of the vote.

Although the oil bust of the 1980s hurt the 9th's economy, the rapid growth of the petrochemical industry in the 1990s helped the district grow. Shipbuilders rely on the government, as does the Space Center, located 20 miles southeast of Houston. Growing service and trade industries near Galveston have helped diversify the economy beyond industrial employers. Galveston, with its nearby beaches, also has emerged as a tourist destination.

Major Industry
Petrochemicals, shipbuilding, health care

Population
564,287 (1990)

Cities
Beaumont, 111,224; Galveston, 60,048; Port Arthur, 57,701 (1996)

People
87% urban; 11% age 65+ (ranks 11 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 56% married couples, 27% married couples with children; 19% college educated (ranks 11 of 30 in state; middle third nationally); 59% white collar (ranks 10 of 30 in state; middle third nationally), 26% blue collar (ranks 16 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
72% white, 22% black, 2% Asian; 9% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$29,406 (ranks ninth of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Galveston is the site of many Texas firsts, including the first post office (1836) and first law firm west of the Mississippi River (1846); Nederland maintains its Dutch roots with a windmill and annual Heritage Festival.

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