The Gingrich Senators and Their Effect on the U.S. Senate

Abstract

Much of the recent increase in party polarization in the U.S. Senate can be accounted for by the “Gingrich Senators,” who I define as Republicans who served with Newt Gingrich in the House and then moved to the Senate. In previous research (Theriault 2008, Theriault and Rohde 2011), I find that the Gingrich Senators account for 75 percent of the polarization in the Senate since 1973 and 85 percent of the polarization since their ranks began service in the Senate in 1984. In this paper, I examine how it is that the Gingrich Senators have come to have had such a profound impact on the Senate. In short, I find that many more Republicans with House experience have run for the Senate in the Gingrich Era and that they have compensated for their more conservative voting record by raising more campaign funds.

Keywords: Senate, Congress, Gingrich