Are Career Politicians are “Out of Touch” with Voters? Political Science Professor has the Answer

Jordan Ragusa, political science professor

Are career politicians “out of touch” with their constituents?

College of Charleston political science professor Jordan Ragusa says there’s no proof of that. In fact, he shows there is no difference in the voting record of “career” and “new” U.S. Senators.

RELATED: See Ragusa’s data and read his full blog post.

“We shouldn’t be surprised by this result,” Ragusa notes. “In fact, it’s easy to turn the ‘career politician’ attack on its head. What some might call ‘career politicians’ others might call ‘faithful public servants.”

Ragusa released this data on the eve of the South Carolina Republican primary election, in which Senator Lindsay Graham (R) faces six challengers. Ragusa says if Graham wins, it will continue the national trend of establishment Republicans fending off conservative primary challengers.

“While Congress is very unpopular, and perhaps deservedly so, it’s the replacement of old members with new members that has caused much of Congress’s polarization and gridlock,” Ragusa contends. “That ‘new Congress smell’ won’t make the institution run better.”

RELATED: College of Charleston political science professor Gibbs Knotts talks about the S.C. Republican primary.