Congress  Make-Up  from Year 1855-to-Present


From 1989 to 2011 . . .

StartYear EndYear Congress Re-Election Party Seat

 NOTES:

          # Rate Retention Rate

 

1989 1991 101 90.1% 99.6%

 

1991 1993 102 87.7% 98.3%

 

1993 1995 103 73.6% 98.1%

 

1995 1997 104 79.8% 88.2%

 

1997 1999 105 77.4% 98.7%

 

1999 2001 106 89.9% 99.3%

 

2001 2003 107 88.2% 98.7%

 

2003 2005 108 87.9% 98.1%

65 voted out

2005 2007 109 88.6% 98.7%

61 voted out

2007 2009 110 84.9% 93.1%

81 voted out: (68 (=16(D)+51(R)+1(I) in the House)) + (13 (=3(D)+9(R)+1(I) in the Senate))

2009 2011 111 86.9% 94.0%

70 voted out: (57 (=13(D)+44(R) in the House)) + (13 (=3(D)+10(R) in the Senate))

  AVERAGE= 85.0% 96.8%

 


Average Party Seat Retention rate between 2009 and 2011:   93.3%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 2007 and 2009:   93.1%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 2000 and 2006:   97.6%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 1996 and 2006:   96.4%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 1980 and 2006:   96.5%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 1855 and 2006:   91.2%

Voters give Congress dismal 11% to 18% approval ratings, but then do a very strange thing:  Reward Congress with 85% (or higher) re-election rates.

During a portion of the Great Depression (38.8% (206 of 531) of the incumbents were ousted in year 1933) . . .

StartYear EndYear Congress Re-Election Party Seat  NOTES (voters obviously grew increasingly unhappy between 1927 and 1935):
        # Rate Retention Rate
1927 1929 70 th 83.6% 96.4% 87 voted out
1929 1931 71 st 79.7% 92.5% 108 voted out
1931 1933 72 nd 76.8% 88.5% 123 voted out
1933 1935 73 rd 61.2% 78.7% 206 voted out (59 Democrats, 147 Republicans)

In year 1933, unhappy voters ousted 206 Congress persons (i.e 38.8%=206/531) from Congress (or 44.1% =206/[435 + (96/3)], since only one-third of the Senate is up for re-election every 6 years, considering there were only 96 Senators in year 1933, and the same number of Representatives as today (i.e. 435), for a total of 531 Congress persons in year 1933).

Eventually, enough voters will most likely do it again and vote out record numbers of incumbent politicians from do-nothing Congress again, when the consequences of repeatedly rewarding irresponsible incumbent politicians with perpetual re-election finally becomes too painful.  Already, these 17+ economic conditions are now worse then ever and/or since the 1930s and 1940s, due to the perpetuation of these 10+ abuses for the past 30+ years (abuses that did not all come about by mere coincidence).  Perhaps enough voters will finally question the wisdom and habit of repeatedly rewarding irresponsible incumbent politicians with perpetual re-election when enough voters are jobless, homeless, and hungry?   Pain and misery is often the final lesson and self-correction mechanism.  Pain and misery is one of the most effective types of motivation and education.

    Senate House PARTY SEAT RE-
Congress Years Total Dems Reps Others Vacant Total Dems Reps Others Vacant TENTION RATE
34th 1855–1857 62 42 15 5 0 234 83 108 43 0  
35th 1857–1859 64 39 20 5 0 237 131 92 14 0 82.4%
36th 1859–1861 66 38 26 2 0 237 101 113 23 0 88.1%
37th 1861–1863 50 11 31 7 1 178 42 106 28 2 62.3%
38th 1863–1865 51 12 39 0 0 183 80 103 0 0 80.3%
39th 1865–1867 52 10 42 0 0 191 46 145 0 0 81.5%
40th 1867–1869 53 11 42 0 0 193 49 143 0 1 98.4%
41st 1869–1871 74 11 61 0 2 243 73 170 0 0 85.5%
42nd 1871–1873 74 17 57 0 0 243 104 139 0 0 88.3%
43rd 1873–1875 74 19 54 0 1 293 88 203 0