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 23% 77% 92% 8% 1997 32 67 94 4 1996 35 65 97 3 1995 17 83 99 1 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 99 1996 100 1995 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 5% n/a 89% 100 % 1997 5 0 100 96 1996 0 0 94 100 1995 0 0 100 96
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 13 : Eastern Panhandle - Wichita Falls; part of Amarillo

The conservative 13th starts at the Oklahoma border, runs through the Panhandle to below Lubbock in the west and then heads east, covering the South Plains, the Red River Valley and taking in a bit of Denton. A monstrous and mainly rural district, the 13th includes all or part of 38 sparsely settled counties.

Oil and cotton dominate the district's economy, and both suffered during the 1980s and early '90s as oil prices dropped and droughts starved the land. Thanks to other industries, the main cities weathered the difficulties. In Amarillo, Pantex, the nation's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly plant, planned an expansion and a new aircraft assembly plant in 1999. In Wichita Falls, factories are rampant, but the jewel of the economy is Sheppard Air Force Base, which has so far escaped downsizing. Many of the district's rural counties depend on the Ogallala Aquifer to grow wheat, sorghum, sugar beets, corn and hay.

Republicans took the House seat from Democrats in 1994, the result of a growing conservative trend. Locally, Republicans do well in many of the rural small towns that dot the district, particularly around Amarillo. The portion of Lubbock that's in the 13th favors Democrats. Closer to blue-collar Wichita Falls, voters traditionally favored Democrats, but elections are getting more competitive.

Major Industry
Agriculture, oil, defense

Military Bases
Sheppard Air Force Base, 3,441 military, 1,409 civilian (1998)

Population
566,682 (1990)

Cities
Wichita Falls, 100,138 (1996); Amarillo (pt.), 91,502; Denton (pt.), 42,308; Lubbock (pt.), 38,098 (1990)

People
48% urban, 27% rural; 14% age 65+ (ranks third of 30 in state; top third nationally); 58% married couples, 28% married couples with children; 14% college educated (ranks 22 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 47% white collar (ranks 26 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally), 30% blue collar (ranks eighth of 30 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Race
79% white, 8% black, 1% Asian; 19% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$20,907 (ranks 28 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Singer Buddy Holly born and raised in Lubbock; A stretch of Route 66, made famous by songs and television, cuts through the 13th.

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