Turnover and Voting Stability in the Senate

Abstract

Little is known about the senators who change their voting positions during normal political times, but it is generally assumed that incumbents have very stable voting records and that vote changes come primarily from the replacement of personnel. This article examines how turnover is related to Senate voting shifts on a variety of issues. The majority of vote changes come from incumbents rather than freshmen. Further, there is no overall difference in the proportion of vote changes made by party turnovers and intraparty replacements.