SENATE CONFIRMATION OF CABINET NOMINATIONS - INSTITUTIONAL POLITICS AND NOMINEE QUALIFICATIONS

The outcomes of votes to confirm cabinet nominations can be viewed fro m the perspective of the individual nominee's qualifications for the p osition or one which places confirmation votes in the context of insti tutional politics between the president and the Senate. This article s pecifies and tests a linear regression model designed to assess which perspective best explains confirmation votes for the 201 cabinet nomin ations made between 1945 and 1993. The analysis indicates that, unlike nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court, the key conflict is between th e nominee's own background and the Senate's standard of appropriate co nduct in personal and business affairs. But when conflicts of interest arise, the president's standing with the public becomes an important factor.