Are Democrats Really the Party of the Poor? Partisanship, Class, and Representation in the U.S. Senate. (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Maks-Solomon, Cory; Rigby, Elizabeth
• Is Part Of: Political research quarterly. Volume 73:Number 4(2020:Dec.)
• Page Start: 848
• Page End: 865
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: inequality -- political parties -- representation -- Congress; Political science -- Periodicals; Science politique -- Périodiques; 320
• DOI: 10.1177/1065912919862623
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1065-9129

Abstract

Scholars have identified partisan differences in policy representation—with Republicans more often found to represent the rich, while Democrats align with the preferences of less affluent voters. This paper explores these partisan differences, questioning this simple conclusion on both theoretical and methodological grounds. Instead, we develop and test a theory in which elected officials of both parties represent their co-partisans, who agree with one another on many policy issues. Yet, on a subset of issues, upper class and lower class co-partisans have diverging policy preferences: rich and poor Democrats disagree on social issues while rich and poor Republicans disagree on economic issues. We analyze roll call voting in the U.S. Senate and find that, in these cases, senators of both parties better represent the preferences held by affluent members of their party. Our findings underscore the value in examining the content of policy debates and theorizing about different forms of representation.