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 79% 13% 87% 6% 1997 79 21 88 11 1996 84 13 89 9 1995 83 16 91 6 1994 85 14 94 4 1993 90 10 94 4 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 94 1997 99 1996 98 1995 98 1994 98 1993 98	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 90% n/a 47% 4 % 1997 85 100 40 16 1996 80 91 25 0 1995 95 100 17 8 1994 85 78 33 19 1993 90 92 27 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 30 : Downtown Dallas; part of Irving

After it was declared unconstitutionally gerrymandered by a federal court, the 30th was redrawn in 1996 and is now confined to Dallas County. Shaped like a tilted "S," the 30th now stretches from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport southeast through Irving and downtown Dallas, then curves southwest to take in Lancaster, Grand Prairie and the DeSoto suburbs.

The area lost some of its black population during redistricting, but, at 45 percent, blacks still hold a plurality in the 30th. There also has been a rise in Asian and Indian populations due to the expansion of national and international corporations in Dallas. As population grows, transportation has become a main concern in the Dallas area, and efforts are underway to install a more efficient system to link downtown Dallas with its suburbs and the airport.

Irving's newest addition will be the headquarters of the giant Mobil/Exxon Corp., an addition expected to greatly benefit the local economy. Irving has never accepted federal funds for public housing, but as the city grows, so does the need for more housing, and city officials have struggled over the issue.

The district is overwhelmingly Democratic at both national and local levels. Despite a large blue-collar population in Dallas, the city is also known for its banking and is full of large corporations, making it fiscally conservative on many issues. Downtown Dallas tends to be moderate to liberal on social issues, while suburbs like Irving are more conservative.

Major Industry
Banking, technology, transportation

Population
564,902 (1994)

Cities
Dallas (pt.), 453,114; Grand Prairie (pt.), 27,688; Irving (pt.), 21,844 (1994)

People
100% urban; 8% age 65+ (ranks 21 of 30 in district; bottom third nationally); 46% married couples, 23% married couples with children; 14% college educated (ranks 22 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 53% white collar (ranks 20 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally), 29% blue collar (ranks 11 of 30 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
42% white, 45% black, 2% Asian; 18% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$24,775 (ranks 16 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Dealey Plaza and Texas School Book Depository, where President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963; State Fair of Texas attracts 3 million people and features Big Tex - the world's only 52-foot-tall talking cowboy.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company