A non-partisan effort to clean house in the PA General Assembly

Pay Raise "Yes" Votes vs. Duration of Incumbency

The following are results of a study conducted by Operation Clean Sweep asking whether any given legislator's duration of incumbency in the General Assembly - and hence, their perceived vulnerability in the 2006 election - may have influenced their vote on enacting changes to the Public Officials Compensation Law (HB 1521).
Pennsylvania General Assembly
percentage of "yes" votes by years of incumbency
1-5
yrs
6-10
yrs
11-15
yrs
16-20
yrs
21-25
yrs
25-30
yrs
30+
yrs
Democrats
36.4
52.9
63.6
71.4
89.5
100
100
Republicans
31.4
31.6
56.0
75.0
95.2
85.7
100
Total
32.9
41.7
60.3
71.4
92.5
93.8
100
Overall percentage of "yes" votes: Democrats 65.5%; Republicans 53.6%

Pennsylvania Senate
percentage of "yes" votes by years of incumbency
1-5
yrs
6-10
yrs
11-15
yrs
16-20
yrs
21-25
yrs
25-30
yrs
30+
yrs
Democrats
16.7
75.0
40.0
0.0
100
100
100
Republicans
27.3
33.3
33.3
100
100
100
-
Total
23.5
50.0
37.5
100
100
100
100
Overall percentage of "yes" votes: Democrats 55.0%; Republicans 53.3%
Note: Years spent by Senators in the House of Representatives not included.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives
percentage of "yes" votes by years of incumbency
1-5
yrs
6-10
yrs
11-15
yrs
16-20
yrs
21-25
yrs
25-30
yrs
30+
yrs
Democrats
43.8
46.2
67.9
71.4
88.2
100
100
Republicans
32.5
30.8
59.1
70.0
93.8
83.3
100
Total
35.7
38.5
64.0
70.6
90.9
91.7
100
Overall percentage of "yes" votes: Democrats 67.8%; Republicans 53.7%
Note: Absentee Representatives and vacant seats not included.
Operation Clean Sweep is a non-partisan movement aimed at replacing every Pennsylvania legislator facing re-election in 2006. Visit the Operation Clean Sweep website at www.pacleansweep.com.