Working-Class Legislators, Bill Writing, and Introduction: Limited Evidence of Substantive Representation in Congress
2026-03-17
Few groups are as poorly represented in Congress relative to their prevalence in the population as are members of the working-class. While working-class members of Congress vote more economically liberally than do other members, the extent to which they are more likely to introduce or write legislation to benefit the working-class is unknown. We test whether legislators from a working-class background provide better substantive representation of the working-class by introducing and writing legislation that advances working-class interests compared to non-working-class legislators. Examining Policy Content Scores and sponsorship measures across four congresses covering 3,491 social welfare bills, we find that working-class members are no more likely to write bills that include more policy tools to ensure their preferences are reflected or introduce bills that addressing working-class issues.