Networks of champions: leadership, access, and advocacy in the U.S. House of Representatives

Abstract

In Networks of Champions Christine A. DeGregorio details who in the U.S. House of Representatives took the lead in shepherding six major bills through Congress (bills dealing with welfare reform, drug control, international trade, farm policy, nuclear weapons testing, and assistance to the Contras) and how these champions of legislation worked with outside advocacy groups. The champions that DeGregorio finds were drawn from a diverse group that included individuals both within and outside the formal hierarchy of leadership - the representatives were not necessarily the publicly prominent holders of important positions. She finds a reciprocal process in which advocacy groups use champions to express their views while champions use the resources of advocacy groups to gain influence in the House.