Replication data for: Balancing Constituency Representation and Party Responsiveness in the U.S. Senate: The Conditioning Effect of State Ideological Heterogeneity

Spatial proximity theories of representation focus on the importance of the average views of constituencies in guiding legislators’ decisions. Numerous legislative scholars also identify political parties as central in structuring behavior. We present and test a theory of how legislators resolve the tension between these two demands. We propose that heterogeneity in constituent preferences conditions how legislators balance these sometimes rival pressures. Specifically, greater preference heterogeneity weakens the impact of the average views of citizens on roll-call behavior while strengthening the impact of party. We show support with data from the U.S. Senate and discuss the implications for democratic representation.