When Are Bipartisan Senators More Effective?

Abstract

This research explores the legislative incentives for bipartisanship in the United States Senate using the Lugar Center’s bipartisan index and the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s legislative effectiveness score. I accept Volden and Wiseman’s 2019 conclusion that legislative effectiveness does, in fact, give incumbents an electoral advantage. That being the case, this study effectively explores the electoral incentives for bipartisanship and whether those incentives differ across gender and stature. Key findings show that bipartisanship is most likely to enhance effectiveness for women when they belong to the Senate minority party, and for men when they govern the majority.