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 77% 23% 84% 14% 1997 79 21 89 11 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 85% n/a 56% 20 % 1997 85 100 50 28
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

WISCONSIN 3 : West - Eau Claire; La Crosse

With more cows than people, the 3rd claims to be the dairy capital of the nation. The flat prairie land and nutrient-rich soil in the south contribute to ideal milk-producing conditions. Smaller farms have struggled, keeping population growth well below the state average (which itself lies below the national average). Tourists are drawn to the west, where the Mississippi River has carved steep bluffs along its banks, which border 210 miles of the 3rd, more than any other district in the nation.

Heavy manufacturing also drives the economy of Wisconsin's only Mississippi River city, La Crosse, and of Eau Claire, the benchmark of the nation's dairy pricing. In the north, commuters to Minneapolis-St. Paul have spurred the district's heaviest growth in St. Croix County, while more than a dozen lakes in the northwest attract vacationers and retirees.

The sparsely populated southwest, with relatively stable farms, has forged more conservative and Republican voters, while in the north, the manufacturing jobs and unsettled farmers have produced Democratic sympathizers. In 1992, nearly one-fourth of the voters picked Ross Perot. The 3rd's congressional seat is not considered safe for either party, but individual incumbents - Republican in the early 1990s and Democratic in the late 1990s - have easily won re-election.

Major Industry
Dairy farming, heavy manufacturing, tourism

Population
543,447 (1990)

Cities
Eau Claire (pt.), 55,180 (1990); La Crosse, 50,212; Menomonie, 14,514 (1996)

People
56% rural; 14% age 65+ (ranks third of nine in state; top third nationally); 60% married couples, 30% married couples with children; 16% college educated (ranks fifth of nine in state; middle third nationally); 47% white collar (ranks seventh of nine in state; bottom third nationally), 29% blue collar (ranks sixth of nine in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
98% white, 0% black, 1% Asian; 0% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$25,758 (ranks eighth of nine in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in northwest part of district; The NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints have summer training sites at universities in the district.

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