CONSTITUENCY OPINION, PEROT,ROSS, AND ROLL-CALL BEHAVIOR IN THE US HOUSE - THE CASE OF THE NAFTA

This paper examines the extent to which electoral support for Ross Per ot influenced House members' votes on the North American Free Trade Ag reement. Using Perot's share of the congressional district vote and me mbers' electoral safety as key predictor variables, we test a legit mo del, holding constant district demographic characteristics, members' p arty and ideology, region, and labor and business PAC contributions. T he results of the analysis indicate that the magnitude of the Perot vo te exerted a significant effect on the NAFTA vote outcome, specificall y for marginal House Republicans. Thus, we provide evidence that under certain conditions members respond to Independent political movements and Independent voters in their districts when deciding on legislatio n.