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 28% 72% 90% 9% 1997 29 71 91 5 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 98 1997 96	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 5% n/a 100% 84 % 1997 0 0 100 92
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 12 : Northwest Tarrant County; part of Fort Worth

The 12th is made up of parts of Johnson and Parker counties, the northwest section of Tarrant County and a segment of Fort Worth. The district is mostly white, middle-class and a mix of rural and suburban. Tarrant County is by far the most populous of the three counties, but new housing developments are appearing in some sections of traditionally rural Johnson and Parker counties.

The economic strength of the 12th depends heavily on transportation. Within or adjacent to the Fort Worth-based district are three major airports, an Air Force base, three railroad lines, several interstate highways and a myriad of businesses that depend on one or more of these conveyances. The Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads are both active in the district, but the air industry has far surpassed rail. Large government defense contracts have helped create jobs and fuel economic growth.

Politically, the 12th is competitive terrain. In the past, Democratic candidates have received robust percentages here. But the district appears to be leaning Republican, electing a Republican representative in 1996, then voting 62 percent to re-elect her in 1998. In general, Parker and Johnson counties tend to vote Republican and are more conservative on social issues.

Major Industry
Defense technology, transportation, medicine

Military Bases
Naval Air Station Fort Worth, Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, 2,194 active duty, 2,505 civilian (1998)

Population
565,988 (1990)

Cities
Fort Worth (pt.), 273,348; Haltom City (pt.), 26,491 (1990); Cleburne, 26,569 (1998)

People
77% urban; 12% age 65+ (ranks 19 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 57% married couples, 28% married couples with children; 15% college educated (ranks 17 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 66% white collar (ranks second of 30 in state; top third nationally), 21% blue collar (ranks 19 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
75% white, 23% black, 1% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$27,366 (ranks 10 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Cowtown Coliseum, in the historic Stockyards district of Fort Worth, was the site of the world's first indoor rodeo and the world's first live radio broadcast of a rodeo.

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