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 78% 16% 90% 6% 1997 75 24 90 8 1996 84 11 86 6 1995 89 10 94 6 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 97 1997 98 1996 92 1995 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 95% n/a 44% 4 % 1997 80 100 44 13 1996 90 90 27 5 1995 100 100 21 0
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 18 : Downtown Houston

Downtown Houston's older black neighborhoods and its more progressive residents make up the 18th, one of the poorest areas of the city. The 18th was one of three Texas districts created after the 1990 census to be declared racially gerrymandered by the courts. The new 18th is roughly Y-shaped and centered on downtown Houston. Redistricting in 1996 stripped the 18th of its suburban areas and of its black majority - African-Americans now represent 45 percent of the population, down from 51 percent before redistricting. Staunchly Democratic, the district includes a significant portion of Houston's gay and lesbian population.

In contrast to the conservative 7th District immediately to the west, the 18th often gives two-thirds of its votes to Democratic candidates in elections at all levels. The populations around Texas Southern U. and the U. of Houston add to the Democratic total. The 18th has a few middle-class neighborhoods and also includes the Heights, a trendier area attracting some young professionals.

Downtown office buildings are filled with the employees of oil and gas companies and other white-collar executives. Many of these workers, however, commute to their jobs from outside the district. The oil bust of the 1980s dealt downtown a blow, but the area has slowly been rebuilding its economic strength by adding financial services companies, and it plans a downtown baseball stadium to be built in 2000. Still, the 18th has some of the poorest areas in southeast Texas.

Major Industry
Energy, government, business services

Population
568,146 (1990)

Cities
Houston, 505,859 (pt.) (1990)

People
100% urban; 10% age 65+ (ranks 17 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 41% married couples, 20% married couples with children; 16% college educated (ranks 14 of 30 in state; middle third nationally); 54% white collar (ranks 16 of 30 in state; middle third nationally), 28% blue collar (ranks 13 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
40% white, 45% black, 3% Asian; 23% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$22,240 (ranks 22 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world's largest rodeo; Houston officials estimate that more than 2,000 corporations have headquarters in the city's downtown.

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