University of South Dakota NO. 24 VERMILLION, SOUTH DAKOTA FEBRUARY 15, 1966 South Dakota in Washington: Profile of a Congressional Delegation Charles O. Jones* Associate Professor of Government University of Arizona wo of the basic constitutional characteristics of tions to be met by its members. Thus, South Dakota's the American political system are federalism congressional delegation has always been faced with de­ and republicanism. Ours is a nation of states, mands from the state for solving problems, and demands with a central government created by repre­ from Congress that actions taken to solve problems con­ T sentatives of states, a Congress composed'of re­ form to certain established patterns. Because of the var­ presentatives of states, and a President formally elected iety of demands made on him, the representative learns by electors of states. Since its admission to the Federal \o be adaptive. The demanders back home may well be Union in 1889, South Dakota has elected 18 individuals instrumental in his reelection; the demanders in Congress to serve in the United States Senate and 23 to serve in may well be instrumental in determining whether he the U. S. House of Representatives. will be able to satisfy his constituents. There are im­ The purpose of this brief study is to analyze some portant stakes in learning to adapt and therefore it is ex­ aspects of South Dakota's representation in Congress. pected that the South Dakota congressional delegation, Certain historical data (party turnover for congressional like most state delegations, will make an effort to re­ and senatorial seats, average number of years served, present the state's interests, and learn the norms of be­ committee assignments, leadership positions) will be ex­ havior in Congress so that their representative behavior amined for all those who have served. Attention will then will be productive. be focused on the present delegation—who they are. how they work, how they organize their offices, and how they Obviously it is not possible in a brief report to con­ vote. sider all of the various factors which should be assessed In addition to recording certain descriptive data about in order to determine the extent to which the South South Dakota's congressional delegation, an attempt will Dakota delegation has been successful in serving the be made to demonstrate the dual role of representatives state's needs in Congress. Certain relevant questions can in Congress. Congressmen represent the state and there­ be answered, however. What is the political party break­ fore are expected to be sensitive to South Dakota's needs down of the delegation ? When has there been congruity while serving in Washingon. In Congress, however, they between party control of the delegation, the Congress, and join a complex legislative system with established ways the White House ? What have been the standing com­ of conducting business and a full complement of expecta- mittee assignments of the delegation ? What positions of leadership have been held by members of the delegation ? What has been the seniority of various delegations? Be­ cause of the manner in which work is done in Congress, *Dr. Jones is a iormer resident of Canton, South Dakota, and took one would expect that the optimum conditions for suc­ his bachelor's degree in government from the University of South cess would be when the South Dakota congressional Dakota in 1953, completing his graduate work at the University of delegation is of the same political party as the President Wisconsin. He is the author of a number of articles on American and the majority in Congress, when the delegation has politics and legislatures and of two recent books, Party and Policy- considerable seniority, and therefore when the delegation Making: The House Republican Policy Committee (1964), and The has both favorable committee assignments and is high- Republican Party in American Politics (1965). — ALC. ranking on those committees. The Delegation Through Time attributed to the greater length of senatorial terms. Once elected, the Democrat serves six years in the Senate, re­ Scholars agree that South Dakota can be classified gardless of any reestablishment of Republican dominance as a "modified one-party state" or a "one-party pre­ in the state. A Democratic member of the House of Re­ dominant state." The Republican Party has, from the presentatives, however, may well serve only two years. very first, dominated politics in the state. This domin­ ance has not meant, however, that the state has been im­ It is debatable whether or not it is advantageous for mune to national trends. Democrats have been elected to a state's congressional delegation to be dominated by state and congressional offices in South Dakota during one party. One can argue both sides of the issue. Shifts the Populist revolt of the 1890's in the middle west and back and forth between the parties reflecting national during those periods when there was a strong national party trends have the advantage of putting in Washing­ ton a delegation which is of the same party as the con­ trolling party in the White House and Congress, but at the cost of seniority. Reelecting members of the same party over long periods of time results in greater sen­ Table 1. Party Affiliation of and Average Number of iority, but the delegation may often find itself dominated Years Served by the South Dakota Delegation, 1889-1967 by the out-party and therefore suffer loss of influence a in Washington. A state would have the best of both Repub .ican Democratic Total worlds by shifting parties in the delegation only during No. Tenure No, Tenure those periods when there is a major change in party House 19 8.0 6 4.0 25 dominance nationally. Thus, had South Dakota continued b to reelect Democrats to the House and Senate following Senate 12 10.0 4 8.5 16 1936, there would have been congruence between the Totals 31 dominant party nationally and the dominant party in the 10 41 state delegation. By now, the South Dakota delegation would likely be a very influential small-state delegation. Table 2 shows congruity and incongruity between a Includes Populists, the party controlling the South Dakota delegation and the party controlling both the White House and Congress. Excludes 3 Republicans and Democrat who were appoir ted Once again, Republican dominance is demonstrated. In but never elected. 21 of the 39 congresses in which South Dakota has been represented, all South Dakota seats were held by Re­ publicans. In 14, a majority of the seats were held by Republicans, leaving only four congresses where the trend toward the Democratic Party (notably 1913-1919, Democrats held a majority of seats. In 12 of the con­ 1931-1941, and 1958). As indicated in Table 1, of the 41 gresses where the Republicans have held all of the seats South Dakotans who' have been elected to serve in Con­ in the South Dakota delegation, the Republican Party gress, 31 have been Republicans. has also controlled Congress and the White House; pre­ Not only are more Republicans than Democrats sumably, it is in those congresses that the South Dakota elected to Congress from South Dakota but, as shown in delegation has had the greatest opportunity for impact. the same table, they tend to stay longer than their Demo­ Only one of those congresses, the 83rd, has occurred since cratic colleagues. As expected, this generalization is 1930. This is not to say, of course, that the delegation is particularly appropriate for the House of Representa­ without influence when there is incongruity, but that one tives. Republican members have served, on the average, would expect maximum influence when the same party twice as long as Democratic members, whereas Republ­ is dominant throughout. During three congresses, the ican Senators have served, on an average, only slightly Democrats have held a majority of the seats and have longer than Democratic Senators. This difference may be been the dominant party in Congress and the White House. Table 2. Congruity and Incongruity (a) Between the South Dakota Delegation and National Leadership PuMw%lMA Congress of Congrui ty Congresses of Incongruity All Seats Mai, of Seat All Seats Mai, of Seats Party Democratic -- 73,74,75 A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE (3) (1) GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH BUREAU Republican UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMILLION 51,57,58,59 56 62b,63,78,79 52b,53,54d 60,61,67,68 CI) 80d,81,82,84c 64,65,66d,72b 69,70,71,83 87 76,77,85c,86c William 0- Farber, Director (12) (9) 88,89 (13) Alan Lo Clem, Associate Director Fred Wo Zuercher, Research Associate Elliott A. Brown, Research Associate Congruity occurs when the party which controls both the White House and Elbert W. Harrington, Consultant Congress also is dominant in the South Dakota delegation. Incongruity occurs when the dominant party in the South Dakota delegation does not control both Congress and the White House, Series LXVl February 15, 1966 Bulletin 24 b Republicans controlled the White House and Senate, not the House of Public Affairs, the Bulletin of the Bureau, is pub­ Representatives, c lished by the Governmental Research Bureau, Univer­ Republicans controlled the White House, not Congress. sity of South Dakota, four times a year; once each in d November, February, May, and August. Republicans controlled Congress, not the White House. Second class postage paid at Vermillion, South Dakota. Single copies of the Bulletin are available upon Another determinant of influence in policy-making in request. Congress is the length-of-service of members. Though there have been violations of the seniority principle in the past (notably during Speaker Joseph Cannon's Rules for three congresses, and Francis Case was a reign), it is clearly a well-established rule in Congress.