ABSTRACT
In An Economic Theory of Democracy, Anthony Downs postulated the following: The political function of elections in a democracy is to select a government. David Mayhew provided a way to think about Members of Congress, the causes of election results, and suggested some factors that might explain the vanishing marginals. His work prompted a research focus on candidates and their usage of various resources. The accepting Mayhew's empirical conclusion and his explanatory framework shifted the focus of analyses and their views of incumbents. The conclusion that district competition was declining and the presumption that Members were creating a personal vote had significant implications for assessing how American politics was faring. The important conclusion was that the focus on creating a "personal vote" within the electorate diminished responsiveness within districts and responsiveness overall. The essential criticism that emerged from the analyses is that without extensive within-district competition something is amiss with representation and decision-making in American politics.
