Congress: The Electoral Connection

by David R. Mayhew

"Any short list of major analyses of Congress must of necessity include David Mayhew’s Congress: The Electoral Connection."  —Fred Greenstein

In this second edition to a book that has achieved canonical status, David R. Mayhew argues that the principal motivation of legislators is reelection and that the pursuit of this goal affects the way they behave and the way that they make public policy. In a new foreword for this edition, R. Douglas Arnold discusses why the book revolutionized the study of Congress and how it has stood the test of time. 

Genres: Politics, Political Science, Nonfiction, Grad School, Academic, History, School

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 1974

Reviews

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayhew's book on Congress is considered a classic of political science literature. It's short (under 200 pages), and though in some ways it has become dated, it still goes a long way toward explaining the primary goals and activities of Congress-people.

The long and short of it is this: people in Congress want to re-elected, and the vast majority of their behavior can be understood as contributing to their re-election efforts in one way or another. To use political science jargon, this is a rational choice theory of how Congress operates. There are essentially three ways a Congress-person pursues this goal: advertising, which encompasses not just standard political advertising but any effort that is likely to increase their name ID among the electorate; credit-claiming, or finding ways to plausibly take ownership of stuff like pork-barrel spending in their district or other benefits from legislation; and position-taking, or stating a stance on an issue that should gain them votes in their district because it is popular with a constituency--no action is necessary for this to be effective. Just holding the position is enough.

As someone that spent a number of years working in a legislative office and on campaigns, I can say that most of this felt pretty much correct to me. There is nothing wrong with these activities per se, and we have created a system that incentivizes officeholders to act in the ways they do. Even decades after it was first published, this text remains a good foundation for gaining insight into Congressional prerogatives.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mayhew is clearly incredibly knowledgeable and the premise (elected officials' primary motivation is to get re-elected) seems airtight, but I had higher for evidence for that assertion, as opposed to it being an axiom. The book is dated (the second edition is the 30-year anniversary of the 1974 first edition, and, in the forward, Mayhew declined to update it because doing so correctly would require rewriting the whole book; with that in mind, note that I read the book in 2022). It's also more theoretical and anecdotal than I'd anticipated.

It was fascinating to read about (in Chapter 1, "The Electoral Incentive") how the American Medical Association rapidly mobilized against promises to implement national healthcare, to the point of member doctors sending out mailers with their bills. This was widely seen by both parties as being successful, with multiple campaigners targeted by this approach losing their 1950 elections, and it resulted in almost nobody talking about health care by 1952.

The discussions of "credit claiming" as a vital endeavor for Congress members was interesting. In short, elected officials need to make their constituency think they have accomplished pleasing things so that the constituency thinks they will continue doing pleasing things so that the constituency will wish them to remain in office so that the constituency will vote for them so that they will stay in office (recall this is their primary motivation). Related, there is a passage in Chapter 2 ("Processes and Policies") that describes "waste" (quotes in the original) that occurs when Congress allocates a large sum to show it cares about some issue, but then has no interest or incentive to track what is done with the money.

The passage in Chapter 2 that describes how much out-of-state contributions flow to members of influential Congressional committees is depressingly unsurprising.

my favorite quote: "By the same logic, it might be advantageous for opposition marginals to try to wreck the economy; if it were done unobtrusively the voters would probably blame the president, not them."

[Cole Samschick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayhew’s political essay, converted to book format for our reading pleasure, discusses the key drivers that motivate congressional incumbents with regards to their political activites. Readers quickly understand that House and Senate mebers alike are strongly inclined to pursue activities that are electorally advantageous, whether or not those activities contribute to enacting good , or even any, types of policy. A work that feels strongly reliant upon rational choice theory, Mayhew supports claims of congressional self preservation taking priority over all other ends by showcasing the need for incumbents to credit claim, advertise, and position take. Where the book loses a star is solely rooted in my own ineptitude. Although only 180 pages, the material, especially the second half, seemed painstakingly complex to the point where I found myself rereading sentences multiple times to try and fully comprehend.

Great read, highly reccomend. Be prepared for complex themes and phrases like “Pareto Optimality”

[Anna Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very educational and insightful read on the inner workings of Capitol Hill. I enjoyed his theory of politicians' main goal (to get re-elected) because it explains a lot of how these people act. From their interactions with the media to how they approach bills. Now, there are other factors (for example politician's opinions on policy and influence) that are applied when politicians approach their work. I do recommend it to anyone interested in American political science.

[Annie Jarman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite its age, still a fantastic resource in poli sci

[Will Spohn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bleh. Interesting premise but not interesting book. For class!

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of legislative politics and theory of representatives being driven by reelection. Easy to read and informative.

[Ashli Jaschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting in getting the ground understanding of congressional motivations.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

학교 수업 책

[Heather]

😴

[Elias Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect resource for anyone hoping to understand the broader workings of Capitol Hill. In a nutshell, the legislature becomes much less mysterious for the reader.

[Cecilia Pang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seminal work. Legislators as “single minded seekers of (re)election.

[Izzy Russo · Rating 3 out of 5]

had to read it for class.

[Mary Catherine Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is hard to rate this book. One because I had to read it for a class and two because it is only the opinions and research of David Mayhew. He concludes that all legislators are motivated by one principle and that is reelection. I do not disagree that this is a motivation for legislators but I'm not convinced it is the only motivating principle. However, just from reading this book, this logic seems spot on but he included no counter points to his argument so of course it would be sound. All in all it was a good book that helped to open the doors for more research on what really motivates legislators. If you are a political science major or you just love learning about how Congress works, this is a read for you. (It is written similarly to a journal article so there are footnotes and in-text citations.)

[Nate Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic. Easy to grasp. Mayhew assumes individual utility maximization in congress and as such, assumes that reelection is always at the top of the congressman's list of goals. After all, one must hold office in order to accomplish anything else.

He summarizes three activities MCs do in order to accomplish their goals: advertising, "any effort to disseminate one's name among constituents..." (49), credit claiming, "acting so as to generate a belief in a relevant political actor that one is personally responsible for causing the government...to do something that the actor considers desirable" (52-3), and position taking, "the public enunciation of a judgmental statement on anything likely to be of interest to political actors" (61).

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Educational? You know it. Gripping? Please, spare me. Though the book taught me a lot it wasn't a special read, like most books tackling a dry subject. C'mon, political sciencers of the world! If us English kids can write acclaimed books on grammar, you can surely step up your congress educating game!

[Alex Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While revolutionary for its time, this book's thesis has been refined by later scholars. It's mostly cited to credit Mayhew with the recognition a legislator's motivation is largely to get re-elected. This book's mostly qualitative, not quantitative in the modern sense of the word...so I was a bit disappointed.

[Micheal Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is requires if you're studying American politics. While a good read and decent argument, it oversimplifies much of how Congress works. It ignores the role of parties in setting the agenda. It fails to develop the other goals legislators might have that are secondary to seeking reelection and under what circumstances these might become primary goals.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for any political science student in the United States. Mayhew's seminal work is not as applicable with strengthening parties; however, it is still a good purposive study of congressional motivations and actions.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayhew's classic work on Congress. He posits that members of congress are rational actors who main goal is re-election and the body of Congress is organized to facilitate this goal. You can quibble with his assumptions, but you cannot deny the book's influence over the past 35 years.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poli sci classic in understanding Congressional behavior. Remember all those times you've sat confused and concerned, trying to understand why legislators act as they do? Check this book out, and at only 178 pages you should finish it quickly.

[Public Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scholarly writing is such a challenge for this reader... but the book is mercifully brief. This volume has value to be sure, but is looking more and more out of date since the Republican Revolution days of Newt Gingrich. Congress still works like this in some ways, but a lot has changed.

[Hakija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before this book, understanding of Congressmen and their goals was always a little fuzzy. This is a great little book that changed the way we think about congressional elections.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first half in school and I enjoyed the second half, though it was slightly dated. He wondered how the Watergate reforms would turn out!

[Brad Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read. very short, but absolutely worth it. not having worked in Congress, i can't verify Mayhew's conclusions absolutely, but they align well with everything i know.

[Chery Lyn]

good

[Kristofer Petersen-Overton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important (and quick) read. Mayhew influenced a generation of congressional scholars so it's worht reading to know his basic argument.

[Sarah Spaulding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of the more interesting reads on this subject for me.

[Alex Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essential work about how and why Congress works.

[Malinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't have too much to say about this book, it was a required read for my American Congress class. My professor was actually mentored by Mayhew so he was able to elaborate a lot of what Mayhew discussed.

There was a lot of interesting information, though quite cynical. This type of book isn't really my cup of tea personally, plus I found Mayhew's writing style a bit confusing at times with how often he presented points in a list format then would proceed to start a new list within the current train of thought.

Interesting information, not quite presented in my favorite way. It's probably worth more of a 3.5/5 in terms of information and authority on the subject, but I personally didn't find it compelling enough to rate it that way.