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 22% 78% 95% 5% 1997 29 71 94 4 1996 35 65 96 4 1995 17 83 97 3 1994 40 59 86 14 1993 30 70 86 14 1992 79 21 82 17 1991 77 23 82 17 1990 78 22 82 16 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 98 1996 100 1995 99 1994 99 1993 99 1992 99 1991 99 1990 98	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 0% n/a 94% 100 % 1997 10 0 100 92 1996 0 0 100 95 1995 0 0 100 96 1994 0 11 83 100 1993 5 8 91 96 1992 10 33 88 100 1991 0 8 90 95 1990 0 8 79 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 19 : Western Panhandle - Parts of Lubbock and Amarillo

The conservative 19th starts in the Panhandle and travels south through cattle and cotton country until reaching oil field operations in the southern counties near Odessa. With ranches, cattle and remnants of the cowboy lifestyle, the 19th offers a taste of the wild West and feels little like the "Old South," which never really reached this far west.

Lubbock, which is shared with the 13th District, is the largest city in the 19th and thrives on the acres upon acres of cotton surrounding the city. Lubbock calls itself the world's largest cottonseed processing center.

Besides cotton, the 19th also takes in cattle ranches to the north and oil in the south. Because the 19th's economy is so dependent on agriculture and oil, it was nearly devastated during the worldwide oil glut of the 1980s and bad weather in the 1990s. Famine and drought have been detrimental to cattle and cotton, and continued low oil prices have dampened the oil industry. Reese Air Force Base was another important employer, but it was shut down under the 1995 military restructuring.

Before a Republican won the 19th in 1984, only Democrats had held the seat during its 50-year history. More recently, Republicans have done well at all levels and routinely receive between 60 and 70 percent of the vote.

Major Industry
Cattle, agriculture, oil and gas

Population
565,925 (1990)

Cities
Lubbock (pt.), 148,108; Amarillo (pt.), 66,113; Odessa (pt.), 58,539 (1990)

People
61% urban; 10% age 65+ (ranks 15 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 62% married couples, 32% married couples with children; 21% college educated (ranks 10 of 30 in state; middle third nationally); 58% white collar (ranks 11 of 30 in state; middle third nationally), 24% blue collar (ranks 20 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
86% white, 2% black, 1% Asian; 19% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$27,267 (ranks 12 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Odessa boasts the world's largest barbecue pit, big enough to grill 16,500 pounds of beef; Group of businessmen from Odessa, known as the Odessa Chuck Wagon Gang, travels the world cooking barbecue and promoting West Texas.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company