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 76% 20% 85% 9% 1997 71 27 83 15 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 95 1997 98	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 95% n/a 59% 16 % 1997 75 100 60 29
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 15 : South - Bee, Brooks, Hidalgo and San Patricio counties; McAllen

Situated in southern Texas, the convoluted boundaries of the 15th take in the agricultural and cattle areas north of Corpus Christi and then dip down to the Texas-Mexico border. The 15th includes Texas' largest Hispanic population, which contributes to the district's overall Democratic leaning.

The 15th is one of the poorest districts in the nation. Community leaders struggle to bring jobs to the region and to provide job training to residents. Hidalgo, an agriculture area, is the most populous and fastest growing county in the district but also one of the state's most destitute. Just across the Mexican border, maquiladoras - assembly or manufacturing plants that use low-cost labor and import many parts from the United States - are the mainstay. Trade with Mexican border cities like Reynosa also has helped boost the economy.

The 15th's congressional seat has never been held by a Republican. While Republicans became more competitive in the 1990s, Democrats continue to dominate. Despite losing the state, Clinton won the 15th with 53 percent of the vote in 1992, his highest tally in any non-urban district in Texas. In '96, Clinton raised that number to 60 percent.

Major Industry
Small business, trade, manufacturing

Military Bases
Naval Station Ingleside, 3,044 military, 129 civilian (1997)

Population
566,805 (1990)

Cities
McAllen, 103,352; Pharr, 40,425; Mission, 37,777 (1996)

People
49% urban, 29% rural; 11% age 65+ (ranks 12 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 66% married couples, 38% married couples with children; 12% college educated (ranks 27 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 50% white collar (ranks 23 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally), 29% blue collar (ranks 11 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
76% white, 1% black, 0% Asian; 74% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$17,866 (ranks 30 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
In 1836, Colonel James Walker Fannin of the Texas independence movement was executed with members of his troop in what was known as the "Goliad Massacre."

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