Interest Groups and Intra-Party Conflict on Scored Votes

Abstract

While inter-party conflicts and polarization are central for understanding policymaking, salient intra-party conflicts remain. We explore one lens into these conflicts—interest groups scoring votes at odds with party leaders. We examine how often and under what conditions party-aligned interest groups oppose the positions of party leadership and whether this disagreement is associated with heightened intra-party conflict. We find that disagreement is more common for the majority party compared to the minority party and, for both parties, disagreement is associated with reduced voting cohesion. We also identify salient differences between Democrats and Republicans during this time period. Disagreement on scored votes shines a valuable light into the competing pressures on both parties and interest groups, including those to govern and message. Although interest groups and aligned party leaders often agree on policy, both face a complex constellation of incentives and can make different tradeoffs on specific votes.