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 1994 78% 22% 82% 17% 1993 71 29 86 13 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1994 99 1993 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1994 70% 56% 0% 10 % 1993 75 67 36 17
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

WASHINGTON 1 : Puget Sound (west and east) - North Seattle suburbs

On the banks of Puget Sound, the core of the information age shines with increasing power. In the formerly nondescript city of Redmond, Microsoft exerts its influence. In the 1980s and '90s, the region suburbanized and the population exploded, with many of the "Microsoft Millionaires" moving into the suburban crescent north of Seattle.

The district's blue-collar roots remain strong as nearby Boeing plants provide well-paying union jobs. Many workers live in the more socially conservative King County. The region's military bases also help spur the economy, but it's the high-tech boom that started in the early 1980s - especially along Interstate 5 - that has attracted newcomers.

The 1st was Republican until redistricting after the 1990 census. Now the district could go either way, as demonstrated by the flip-flops in party control during the 1990s. The well-to-do young professionals from Microsoft and the related technology boom provide the area with a heavy contingent of fiscally conservative, socially moderate voters. But the strong union presence weighs heavily in the races, too, as does the more liberal northern Seattle section.

Major Industry
Software, military, aviation construction

Military Bases
Bangor Naval Submarine Base, 5,275 military, civilian 3,986; Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station, 24 military, 1,399 civilian (1998)

Population
540,315 (1990)

Cities
Kirkland, 43,778; Edmonds, 32,001; Lynnwood, 28,695 (1996)

People
88% urban; 10% age 65+ (ranks seventh of nine in state; bottom third nationally); 60% married couples, 29% married couples with children; 31% college educated (ranks second of nine in state; top third nationally); 68% white collar (ranks second of nine in state; top third nationally), 20% blue collar (ranks eighth of nine in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
92% white, 1% black, 5% Asian, 1% American Indian; 2% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$40,390 (ranks second of nine in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Microsoft founder Bill Gates lives in a sprawling mansion with a trampoline room.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company