| Representation, Competing Principals, and Waffling on Bills in U.S. Legislatures was authored by Justin Kirkland and Jeffrey Harden. It was published in LSQ in 2016. |
Legislators face pressure between representing their constituents' interests and following party leadership preferences.
This tension creates a situation where cross-pressured lawmakers are more likely to initially back legislation but later change positions than those whose supporters share similar views.
The pattern is especially strong among majority-party members, not minority-party representatives.
To test these ideas, we analyzed bill co-sponsorship and final passage voting data from 46 state lower legislative chambers plus the U.S. House of Representatives.
These findings offer insights into how representation works in politics where party discipline often conflicts with local responsiveness.
