Homestyles and Congressional-Constituency relations

This approach may be explained in part by the diverse economic and social interests present in different regions of the state.  Baltimore City residents typically place higher importance on government funding for public education and law enforcement programs than rural communities in western Maryland.  Additionally, Marylanders living on the Eastern shore tied to the agricultural sector of the state’s economy need, and expect, different benefits and protections from Maryland government than residents living in affluent regions of the suburbs outside of Baltimore and Washington D.C.

Due to the heterogeneous nature of Maryland that results from its diverse geographic and socio-economic factors, coupled with a wide range of pressing issues, Senator Mikulski’s home style has been fashioned in such a way that helps her connect with a broad range of supporters while addressing the needs of different groups.  As a Marylander for Marylanders, Senator Mikulski has devoted herself to protecting the health of one of Maryland’s most cherished resources—the Chesapeake Bay.  Her efforts on protecting the Bay are a prime example of her dedication to local interests.  Mikulski has utilized her position as a Ranking Member of the Appropriations subcommittee that directly funds the Environmental Protection Agency to secure millions of dollars for programs to preserve and monitor the health of the Bay.  Since 2000, Senator Mikulski has helped secure more than $20 million in grants every year for the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program to increase cleanup and monitoring efforts to help protect the health of the Bay, and maintain safe levels of oyster, crab, and certain fish that Maryland watermen depend on.  Mikulski’s dedication to caring for the Bay is not about pleasing Democrats or Republicans, but illustrates a specific example of her commitment to serving a broad constituency while addressing particular problems affecting local residents.

        Senator Mikulski’s service oriented home style is supplemented by her Washington activity and contributions to influential Senate committees.  In the Senate, Mikulski is revered as a fierce supporter of Maryland interests with a powerful ability to dissuade opponents through tough and uncompromising debate.  She is a desirable ally for Democratic legislators due to her aggressive and persistent attitude for supporting important party issues in the face of Republican opposition.  From her humble beginnings in the 100th U.S. Congress, Senator Mikulski has grown into a prominent power player in the U.S. Senate with high ranking positions on multiple committees.  As a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, as well as the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Senator Mikulski has a heavy influence on a wide range of national issues with local impacts.

        In the Senate, Mikulski has fought vehemently to secure Federal funds to finance numerous programs in Maryland focused on education, the environment, and the elderly.  As stated earlier, she has utilized her position as a Ranking member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies to secure millions of dollars for programs dedicated to cleaning and protecting the Chesapeake Bay.  She cosponsored the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, which was enacted in 2000, and helped expand existing programs devoted to preserving the Bay. Furthermore, Mikulski helped push through legislation in 2005 entitled The Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Environmental Accountability Act of 2005 that supplemented existing programs with almost $500 million of Federal funds to address underlying factors contributing to the pollution of the Chesapeake Bay.

        With issues relating to higher education, Senator Mikulski has used her position on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to block proposed state tuition increases, as well as implement changes in existing practices to make education more affordable and accessible for Maryland students.  She has been active in securing Federal funds to be used for scholarships to send underprivileged Maryland residents to college, as well as to finance programs to strengthen the skills of city teachers.

Her dedication to helping the elderly as a social worker is also apparent through her efforts in the Senate by sponsoring various pieces of legislation aimed at improving the protections and benefits offered by Medicare and Social Security.   On the HELP Committee, Mikulski has passed notable pieces of legislation including the Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Act, which strengthened the safety net protecting the elderly by supplementing the funds for senior citizens who have spouses in assisted living facilities.  These few examples highlight the broad range of issues that Mikulski focuses on in the Senate but barely scratch the surface of her full extent of activity in Washington.  The impact of her actions on important issues present in Maryland, as well as the nation as a whole, exemplifies her home style commitment to helping others.

Over her four Congressional terms in the Senate, Mikulski has been elected, and reelected by convincingly large percentages.  She first won her seat in 1986 for the 100th U.S. Congress with approximately 60.6% of total votes.  In her second term she enjoyed a victory with nearly 71% votes.  In 1998 she was re-elected for a third term with similar percentages around 71%.  Her latest electoral victory in 2004 was the closest yet, but still maintained a large margin, with 65% of total votes.  These high margins of victory indicate that Senator Mikulski has grown a large re-election constituency that has remained relatively consistent since her induction to the Senate in 1987.  A plausible conclusion which may be reached from this information is that Senator Mikulski’s activity in Washington, and in Maryland, has been largely successful at addressing issues important to her supportive constituents.  Her Washington style, which emphasizes her intense dedication to issues effecting Maryland, is intertwined with her service oriented presentation of self utilized at home.  As a whole, they combine to create a representational style that embodies the ideals of public service, loyalty, and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of every Maryland resident that she has been chosen to represent.

        While Senator Benjamin Cardin began his Congressional career in House of Representatives like Barbara Mikulski, his motivation for public service did not originate from earlier experiences as a social worker.  Cardin, whose father and uncle were involved in Maryland politics, entered the political arena at the young age of 23 after being elected to a seat in Maryland’s House of Delegates.  A graduate of University of Maryland Law School, Cardin’s path to Congress was heavily influenced by a personal interest in protecting the legal rights of individuals.  As a member of the House of Representatives for Maryland’s Third Congressional District from 1987-2006, Cardin developed a legislative style that accepted compromise across party lines to achieve action.

As a freshmen Senator of the 110th Congress, Senator Cardin does not possess the power and influence which Mikulski has generated through over 20 years of Senate membership.  He has not formed the relationships that Mikulski has with prominent members to help sway legislation one way or another.  Furthermore, Senator Cardin is not renowned to be as uncompromising as Mikulski when it comes to reaching agreements during floor debate.  In fact, his ability to work across party lines in the House may be advantageous for advancing health care and budgetary reforms consistently opposed by Republicans in the Senate.

Cardin’s experience with a broad range of issues while serving as a member in the House landed him a position on five Senate Committees.  In the Senate, Cardin serves on the Foreign Relations Committee, Environment and Public Works Committee, Judiciary Committee, Budget Committee, and Small Business Committee.  Much of his work on these diverse committees has a more national focus that targets economic and institutional factors affecting all Americans.  Senator Cardin has been supportive of federal policies promoting free trade, programs for providing economic and health care benefits to all U.S. citizens, and a budget resolution that focuses on job growth within the United States.  His expertise on monetary policy makes him an important figure on the Budget Committee where he has been able to craft legislation that is designed to improve the conditions of the nation’s economy, while also securing millions of dollars for programs in Maryland.

Senator Cardin’s home style is considerably different from Mikulski’s unwavering commitment to making politics personal.  His exhibits a more hands-off approach that uses his actions in the Senate to speak for himself at home.  Cardin’s presentation of self exudes his professional background in law through a more formal style of legislating.  While this is a different technique, it has served him well considering his long career of multiple terms in the House and election to the Senate.  

As a whole, the choices and decisions that Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin have made in the Senate are quite similar.  A CQ voting alignment search found that out of 509 Floor votes in which they both participated in, they voted the same way close to 96% of the time.  Furthermore, in relation to their party as a whole, another CQ voting alignment search found that Ben Cardin voted along party lines 89% of the time for 387 key votes.  The search found that Mikulski voted along party lines 90% of the time for 419 key votes.  These numbers indicate that both senators share many of the same views on what legislation is worthy to be made into law.

In conclusion, while Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin have many of the same views and attitudes as they relate to the major issues affecting Maryland and its residents, they both follow a different approach for addressing those concerns.  The success and support which Mikulski and Cardin have enjoyed at home has been found to be related to their actions in Washington.  The symbiotic relationship between their home style and the decisions they make in Washington is a key concept that Fenno attributes to Congressional success.  With Mikulski and Cardin, this has proven true, and their continued achievement in the Senate will reinforce the significance of balancing local interests and party agendas with national issues.