Where's the Caucus? A Study of Minority Agenda Setting Behavior by LaShonda Marie Brenson A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science) in The University of Michigan 2016 Doctoral Committee: Professor Richard L. Hall, Co-Chair Professor Vincent L. Hutchings, Co-Chair Professor Robert W. Mickey Professor Alford A. Young c LaShonda Marie Brenson 2016 All Rights Reserved In the loving memory of Ella Ruth Brenson ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A number of individuals and organizations, in one way or another, extended their assistance in the preparation and completion of this dissertation, and for that, I am forever grateful. Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I did not mention the follow- ing persons and organizations without whom this dissertation would not have been possible. First, I give all honor and glory to my savior, Jesus. Without Him, I am nothing. Thank you for believing in me and being with me every step of the way. Second, I would like to thank my late mother, Ella Ruth Brenson, for the sacrifices you made for my siblings and I, but above all, thank you for introducing me to the unconditional love of Jesus. Your unexpected death during graduate school gave me the strength to keep going. I love you more than you'll ever know. Next, I would like to thank my dissertation committee for their unwavering sup- port and advice throughout the dissertation process. Rick and Vince, thank you for being a dynamic dual. Both of your personalities, expertise, and mentoring styles fit this dissertation project perfectly. You both always knew how to balance your level of constructive criticism with encouragement and accolades{you all had the \good cop, bad cop" routine down to a science. Rick typically provided the \forest view"{broader impact{of my project and Vince provided the \tree view"{details{of my project. Rob, thanks for constantly connecting me with scholars in the discipline or sending me ar- ticles and book excerpts related to my project. Also, thanks for sharing pleasant, and not so pleasant, stories about your graduate school experience. Your vulnerability iii and humor often provided me with solace. Al, thank you for always pushing me to think about my project through a broader, societal lens. In addition, your expertise in qualitative interviews and methods was invaluable to this project. In addition to mentoring support, I received considerable financial support from the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, Rackham Graduate School, Gerald R. Ford Fellowship, National Science Foundation's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program, American Political Science Association (APSA) and its Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan, especially its admin- istrative staff. Another source of financial support was my part-time job with the Rackham Graduate School in the Graduate Student Success (GSS) Office. I am grateful to Gisselle Velez-Ruiz, Emma Flores-Scott, and Mark Kamimura for the opportunity to work in GSS with such wonderful people and students. Outside of work, all of the staff members{Paula Wishart, Natalie Bartolacci, Regina Sims, Laura Schram, Arahshiel Silver{was very encouraging and helpful in my professional development. Thank you all so much. I would also like to acknowledge the programs and people who I met before grad- uate school. I like to thank a few of my high school teachers and fellow University of Rochester alumnus: the late Stephen Harrison and the Delehantys{Laura and Daniel, who are the coordinators for the Teaching and Learning Institute (TLI). You all pushed me to my best and the reason why I attended the University of Rochester. Thank you for your continued support and the great work you do at East High School and for the City of Rochester. Once I entered the University of Rochester, two offices ensured my success{the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) directed by Norman Burnett and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program directed by Beth Oli- iv vares. Also, I am thankful to my undergraduate advisor, Valeria Sinclair-Chapman, for introducing me to political science research and allowing me to be a member of your family. During graduate school, my work has also benefited tremendously from a number of colleagues and friends, at the University of Michigan and beyond. In particular, I appreciate the sharp insights and support of Bai Linh Hoang, Adrian Shin, Timnet Gedar, Ashley Reid Brown, Vanessa Cruz, Jonathan Fuentes, LaGina Gause, Por- tia Hemphill, Jennifer Chudy, Leslee McKnight, Yasmin Cole-Lewis, Nicole Yadon, LaFleur Stephens, Davin Phoenix, Luciana Aenasoaie, and Maiko Hueller. Thank you all for your wisdom, prayers, coffee and lunch dates and random conversations, which often entailed a current event or daydreaming about finishing graduate school. The list of people that assisted in making this project come to fruition are to numerous to name, but I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge a few people in- dividually. Nancy Johns-Price, words cannot describe what you mean to me. Thank you for being with me during some of the toughest and brightest moments of my life. You are the most kind, selfless person I know and I love your spirit. Talea Leonard, thanks for being a great friend for over ten years. I appreciate your determination, sense of humor, and prayers. Camille Redding, you've been a great friend and con- fidante. I am amazed at how our friendship has grown over the years. Thanks for spending countless hours on the phone with me commiserating over graduate school and Beyonce. Bai Linh Hoang, thank you for your sweet and loving spirit. Your friendship made getting through graduate school easier. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my brother and sisters in Christ involved with the Young Adult Ministry (YAM) and Reach Church for your prayers and support made all the difference. Again, thank you all so much! v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS :::::::::::::::::::::::::: iii LIST OF FIGURES ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ix LIST OF TABLES :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: x LIST OF APPENDICES :::::::::::::::::::::::::::: xii ABSTRACT ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: xiii CHAPTER I. Introduction ..............................1 1.1 Congressional Caucuses . .3 1.2 Legislative Effectiveness . .5 1.3 Voting Cohesion . .7 1.4 Minority Congressional Caucuses . 10 1.5 Congressional Black Caucus . 12 1.6 Congressional Hispanic Caucus . 14 1.7 Minority Congressional Caucuses and Caucus Influence . 16 1.8 Organization of Dissertation . 17 II. A Theory of Caucus Agenda-setting ............... 19 2.1 Introduction . 19 2.2 Procedural Cartel Theory (PCT) . 20 2.3 Assumptions . 22 2.4 Caucus Leadership Advantage . 27 2.5 Caucus Influence . 30 2.6 Hypotheses for Caucus Leadership Models . 32 2.7 Hypotheses for Caucus Influence Models . 34 vi 2.8 Caucus Leadership Advantage, Caucus Influence, and Majority Party Status . 36 2.9 Conclusion . 37 III. In Their Own Words: Minority Congressional Caucuses ... 38 3.1 Introduction . 38 3.2 Purpose of Interviews . 40 3.3 Merits and Limitations of Qualitative Data . 41 3.4 Interview Methods . 43 3.5 Sample Overview . 44 3.6 Interview Results . 46 3.6.1 Legislative Priorities . 46 3.6.2 Cohesion . 49 3.6.3 Caucus Staff . 58 3.6.4 Cosponsorship and Coalition Building . 67 3.7 Conclusion . 71 IV. Legislative Production and Minority Congressional Caucuses 74 4.1 Introduction . 74 4.2 Hypotheses . 76 4.3 Data and Methods . 77 4.3.1 Dependent Variables for Caucus Leadership Models 78 4.3.2 Independent Variables for Caucus Leadership Model 79 4.4 Results . 80 4.5 Conclusion . 92 V. Incorporating Minority Congressional Caucuses in Studying Agenda-setting ............................. 94 5.1 Introduction . 94 5.2 Hypotheses . 96 5.3 Data and Methods . 97 5.3.1 Dependent Variable . 98 5.3.2 Independent Variables for Agenda-setting Models . 99 5.4 Results . 101 5.4.1 Heckman Selection Model . 108 5.5 Conclusion . 117 VI. Conclusion ............................... 118 6.1 Overview of Findings . 120 6.2 Limitations of Dissertation and Future Research . 124 6.3 Implications . 126 vii 6.3.1 Normative Implications for Congressional and Cau- cus Staff Influence . 128 APPENDICES :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 130 BIBLIOGRAPHY :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 157 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 Legislative Priorities for CBC Offices . 48 3.2 Legislative Priorities for CHC Offices . 48 5.1 Predicted Probability for Minority Interest Bill Passage (White MC) 105 I.1 Example of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Whip's Weekly Email [page 1 of 4] . 149 I.2 Example of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Whip's Weekly Email [page 2 of 4] . 150 I.3 Example of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Whip's Weekly Email [page 3 of 4] . 151 I.4 Example of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Whip's Weekly Email [page 4 of 4] . 152 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Descriptive Statistics . 83 4.2 Determinants of Legislative Production (93rd − 112th Congresses) . 84 4.3 Determinants of Legislative Production [By Category] (93rd − 112th Congresses) . 85 4.4 Determinants of Legislative Production by Majority Party Status (93rd − 112th Congresses) . 88 4.5 Determinants of Legislative Production by Majority Party Status [Substantive and Significant Bills] (93rd − 112th Congresses) . 89 4.6 Determinants of Legislative Production by Majority Party Status [Significant Bills] (93rd − 112th Congresses) . 90 4.7 Determinants of Legislative Production by Majority Party Status [Commemorative Bills] (93rd − 112th Congresses) . 91 5.1 Descriptive Statistics for Agenda Control Model . 103 5.2 Minority Interest Bill Introduction by White MCs [Logistic Results] (106th − 112th Congress) . 104 5.3 Logistic Regression Results for Black MC (106th − 112th Congress) . 106 5.4 Logistic Regression Results for Latino MC (106th − 112th Congress) 107 5.5 Minority Interest Bill Introduction by White MCs (106th − 112th Congress) .