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 74% 22% 76% 21% 1997 61 39 71 27 1996 70 30 81 19 1995 74 26 79 20 1994 64 35 86 13 1993 64 34 76 20 1992 25 69 79 17 1991 36 59 85 11 1990 14 81 79 16 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 97 1997 98 1996 100 1995 99 1994 99 1993 97 1992 96 1991 96 1990 95	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 85% n/a 28% 24 % 1997 80 100 20 21 1996 75 91 19 20 1995 70 100 25 28 1994 75 100 25 24 1993 70 100 18 30 1992 70 100 38 20 1991 65 100 11 21 1990 78 100 36 13
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

WEST VIRGINIA 3 : South - Huntington; Beckley

The 3rd is a predominately rural region taking in the state's southern counties. Known as the "coal district," the 3rd is home to six of the state's 10 leading coal-producing counties, including the top two: Boone and Mingo.

In the 1980s, technological advances in coal mining sharply reduced the need for manpower, and the 3rd has struggled to create new jobs. The decline, which also took a toll on the 3rd's population, added misery to a region that has always had pockets of Appalachian poverty. The situation improved in the 1990s as some counties grew slightly, although other counties continued to see residents leave, and unemployment rates remained high. The 3rd does, however, contribute to the state's tourism industry with its ski resorts, white water rafting areas and The Greenbrier, a five-star hotel in White Sulphur Springs.

Huntington, the district's largest city, is cushioned by its location on the Ohio River and a diversified economy that includes tobacco growers as well as oil and steel companies.

While Huntington's white-collar sector and tobacco growers help make Cabell County the most Republican part of the 3rd, Democrats historically have held a lock on both local and federal offices and continue to register in large numbers.

Major Industry
Coal, wood products, tourism

Population
597,500 (1990)

Cities
Huntington, 53,941; Beckley, 18,353; Bluefield, 12,300 (1996)

People
74% rural; 15% age 65+ (ranks second of three in state; top third nationally); 60% married couples, 29% married couples with children; 10% college educated (ranks third of three in state; bottom third nationally); 50% white collar (ranks third of three in state; bottom third nationally), 34% blue collar (ranks first of three in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Race
95% white, 4% black, 0% Asian; 0% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$18,166 (ranks third of three in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Now-closed nuclear bomb shelter for Congress under The Greenbrier resort; Sunshine Farm and Gardens, one of the nation's most extensive plant collections; Mingo County, site of the "West Virginia Mine Wars" of the 1920s depicted in the movie "Matewan"; "Bloody Mingo" also the site of part of the feuding between the Hatfields and McCoys.

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