Legislative Essay

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The difference between the constituencies of senators and representatives is that
Members of Congress represent the citizens of Congressional District while Senators represent citizens of their entire state. The members of the House and Senate are different in the roles in the legislative process. The organization of the two is different and reflected in their differences in size as well as in electoral rhythm. There are 435 members in the House of Representatives while the Senate is composed of 100 members. The members of the House of Representatives meet at the south end of Capital building while those of the Senate meet at the north end of the same building. The size of the districts determines the number of members in the House of Representatives while only two Senators are elected regardless of the size of the state. In the most House races, outside groups are relatively insignificant. This is in contradiction to Senate seats where outside funding is a key factor. Today, Senate seats are the bigger spender in campaigns as compared to House seats. House elections are mainly fought on local issues while Senate elections focus on statewide concerns. Party leaders tend to focus on issues that voters relate to positively with the party or negatively with the opposition. Party affiliation is important in the election of senators and representatives because it can be a source of funding. Parties support the people nominated to run for the seats by offering campaign assistance to widen the field of competition.

Nevertheless, in most states, congressional candidates are chosen by voters in primary elections. Consequently, the powers of political parties have been decreased and there is little to no party discipline in American politics. Also, there are candidates who run for seats as independent candidates.