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 66% 30% 72% 23% 1997 55 43 61 35 1996 65 32 67 28 1995 62 32 60 35 1994 73 19 77 20 1993 83 16 77 20 1992 37 55 81 16 1991 41 53 76 19 1990 30 69 86 13 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 94 1997 97 1996 94 1995 95 1994 96 1993 96 1992 96 1991 94 1990 98	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 70% n/a 56% 17 % 1997 60 100 60 35 1996 60 90 43 37 1995 50 75 46 32 1994 45 56 55 48 1993 40 83 50 39 1992 60 83 38 40 1991 30 67 56 26 1990 56 83 43 21
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 27 : Gulf Coast - Corpus Christi; Brownsville

Anchored by the tourist hub of Corpus Christi in the north, the mostly urban 27th runs south to the Rio Grande River, with the Gulf of Mexico on its eastern coast. Ranches are the mainstay between the two largest cities, Corpus Christi and Brownsville, which together contain more than half the 27th's population.

A port city, Corpus Christi has a solid economy fueled by its reliable tourism industry and a military presence that grew in the 1990s. Oil and gas used to be among the biggest industries in the city in the 1980s, but now petrochemical refining, which is also found up and down the coast, is more common. Farther south, the port city of Brownsville ails from an influx of illegal immigrants and high poverty, but new manufacturing plants and maquiladoras (assembly or manufacturing plants that use low-cost labor and import many parts from the United States) have brightened up the area. Visitors coming from Mexico boost Brownsville's retail industry.

The 27th was created by redistricting in 1982 and has been held by a Democrat ever since. While most local areas are comfortably Democratic, some affluent areas in Harlingen and Corpus Christi lean Republican.

Major Industry
Manufacturing, trade, tourism

Military Bases
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, 1,600 military, 5,000 civilian (1998); Corpus Christi Army Depot, 12 military, 2,772 civilian; Naval Air Station Kingsville, 842 military, 415 civilian (1998)

Population
565,992 (1990)

Cities
Corpus Christi (pt.), 257,453 (1990); Brownsville, 132,091; Harlingen, 56,893 (1996)

People
80% urban; 10% age 65+ (ranks 14 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 61% married couples, 34% married couples with children; 15% college educated (ranks 17 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 54% white collar (ranks 16 of 30 in state; middle third nationally), 26% blue collar (ranks 16 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
79% white, 2% black, 1% Asian; 66% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$21,552 (ranks 25 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Actress Farrah Fawcett born in 1947 in Corpus Christi; With more than 370 bird species in and around Brownsville, the city has developed a reputation as a bird watcher's paradise.

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