Reporter Ronald Brownstein argues that there are four quadrants of Congress. Brownstein adheres to the idea that demographic factors that go beyond region play a powerful role in shaping each party’s representation in the House. The four quadrants of Congress, which include districts that have high levels of racial minorities and of educated whites, districts with high minority levels and low levels of white education, districts that have low minority levels and high white education levels, and districts with low minority levels and low white education, shape the impact of demography on parties in the House. The Democrats’ two greatest demographic strengths are the racial minorities and well-educated whites. While the Democrats drawing their
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According to the January 2015 article titled “The GOP’s Control of Congress Is Only Getting Stronger”, co-written by Ronald Brownstein himself and Janie Boschma, Republicans have “a com¬mand¬ing ad¬vant¬age in dis¬tricts where whites ex¬ceed their share of the na¬tion¬al pop¬u¬la¬tion…where few¬er whites than the na¬tion¬al av¬er¬age hold at least a four-year col¬lege de¬gree”. This supports Brownstein’s argument regarding how the Republicans are strongest in the fourth quadrant. Brownstein’s argument about how the House Democrats benefit the most from racial minorities and well-educated whites is also supported by his 2015 findings, where he concluded that House Demo-crats re¬main com¬pet¬it¬ive in dis¬tricts with lar¬ger than av¬er¬age numbers of col¬lege edu¬cated whites and in dis¬tricts where minor¬it¬ies ex¬ceed their share of the na¬tion¬al pop¬u¬la¬tion. Although in the 2008 article Brownstein found that Democrats hold 84 of the 113 seats that represent high-minority, high-education districts, in 2015 they hold 80 of the 102. While the percentage increased by three percent, the number of seats representing quadrant one decreased. As long as the Democrats depend on the districts that revolve around the diverse, younger, and socially liberal group of voters, the Republicans will continue to gain more control. Brownstein found in 2008 that districts with very few minority
According to the January 2015 article titled “The GOP’s Control of Congress Is Only Getting Stronger”, co-written by Ronald Brownstein himself and Janie Boschma, Republicans have “a com¬mand¬ing ad¬vant¬age in dis¬tricts where whites ex¬ceed their share of the na¬tion¬al pop¬u¬la¬tion…where few¬er whites than the na¬tion¬al av¬er¬age hold at least a four-year col¬lege de¬gree”. This supports Brownstein’s argument regarding how the Republicans are strongest in the fourth quadrant. Brownstein’s argument about how the House Democrats benefit the most from racial minorities and well-educated whites is also supported by his 2015 findings, where he concluded that House Demo-crats re¬main com¬pet¬it¬ive in dis¬tricts with lar¬ger than av¬er¬age numbers of col¬lege edu¬cated whites and in dis¬tricts where minor¬it¬ies ex¬ceed their share of the na¬tion¬al pop¬u¬la¬tion. Although in the 2008 article Brownstein found that Democrats hold 84 of the 113 seats that represent high-minority, high-education districts, in 2015 they hold 80 of the 102. While the percentage increased by three percent, the number of seats representing quadrant one decreased. As long as the Democrats depend on the districts that revolve around the diverse, younger, and socially liberal group of voters, the Republicans will continue to gain more control. Brownstein found in 2008 that districts with very few minority