Agenda Setting by Intraparty Factions in the U.S. Congress

• In Event: Congressional Development and Lawmaking

Abstract

The modern U.S. Congress suffers from partisan polarization rivaled only in bygone eras of American history. Given this dynamic, scholars stand to learn much from turning inward and examining the dynamics and priorities within the two parties. In pursuit of this goal, this paper identifies eight intraparty factions within the two legislative parties and measures their policy agendas from 2001-2018. This original data set (N=8385) is made up of policy documents, press releases, archival data, endorsed bills, and more collected from the factions’ websites, social media accounts, and activities in Congress. These data, combined with interviews with current and former members of Congress and congressional staffers affiliated with these factions, allow for the first study of intraparty faction agenda setting across multiple groups and over time. The analysis reveals the most impact intraparty factions have, at all stages of the legislative process, is their ability to utilize negative agenda control from committee hearings to bill referrals and even to bill passage. These findings highlight an important avenue of influence for rank-and-file members in an increasingly centralized Congress.

Author

• Zachary McGee, University of Texas, Austin