LENGTH OF CONGRESSIONAL TENURE AND FEDERAL SPENDING - WERE THE VOTERSOF WASHINGTON-STATE CORRECT

In this article we determine the nature of the relationship between co ngressional tenure and the distribution of federal outlays. A popular assumption is that this relationship is a strong one, with senior memb ers of Congress obtaining a disproportionate share of federal dollars for their own constituents. In fact, the argument that senior members are able to perform this feat is suspected to be a factor in the defea t of a term limit initiative in Washington state in 1991. Term limits, it was argued at the time, would put the state of Washington at a dis advantage in the race for favorable federal treatment. Previous empiri cal research, however, has found little evidence that legislative tenu re matters in the distribution of federal dollars, thus throwing into question the validity of popular assumptions about the importance of c ongressional tenure. By analyzing data at both the state and congressi onal district levels, we help to specify the conditions under which le gislative experience does and does not lead to the acquisition of addi tional federal dollars.