ABSTRACT
There is a presidential pulse to congressional elections. Presidential campaigns affect congressional elections by their presence in on-year elections and by their absence in midterm elections. The first of these effects is most obvious: presidential coattails. The winning presidential party in presidential elections gains congressional votes and seats in proportion to its presidential vote. The second effect, the effect of the absence of the presidential campaign in midterm elections, is less obvious. Running without the advantage of presidential coattails, congressional candidates of the president's party suffer losses in the midterm. Like on-year gains, midterm congressional vote and seat losses associated with the absence of presidential coattails are proportionate to the previous presidential victory. This cycle of electoral change is the presidential pulse to congressional elections. The amplitude of this electoral change in the House of Representatives is set by the winning vote margin in the presidential election. Although the strength of the presidential pulse has weakened in recent years, it has been and remains a continuing feature of the American electoral system.
