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Length of Congressional Tenure and Federal Spending

Were the Voters of Washington State Correct?

University of Texas at Arlington

John R. Hibbing

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

In this article we determine the nature of the relationship between congressional tenure and the distribution of federal outlays. A popular assumption is that this relationship is a strong one, with senior members of Congress obtaining a disproportionate share of federal dollars for their own constituents. In fact, the argument that senior members are able to perform this feat is suspected to be a factor in the defeat of a term limit initiative in Washington state in 1991. Term limits, it was argued at the time, would put the state of Washington at a disadvantage in the race for favorable federal treatment. Previous empirical research, however, has found little evidence that legislative tenure matters in the distribution of federal dollars, thus throwing into question the validity of popular assumptions about the importance of congressional tenure. By analyzing data at both the state and congressional district levels, we help to specify the conditions under which legislative experience does and does not lead to the acquisition of additional federal dollars.

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