Events
Search for newspaper articles to understand particular events in the state and the focus of the representatives. Look in databases of major local news as well as specialized political news.
- Access World News This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
A comprehensive current news database, contains hundreds of local, regional, national, and international news sources (including the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star Tribune). - CQ Magazine This link opens in a new window
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Detailed record on weekly activity of Congress. Articles on current issues, roll call votes, and much more. Here you can look up individuals, keywords and votes to find where they're covered in the weekly publication. Also available in print.
- CQ Magazine (Print)Call Number: JK1 .C15 (Shelved in the Books section, with the latest issues shelved in the Reference collection)When using the paper, look for the annual yellow index.
- National Journal (online)
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Weekly newspaper focusing on Congress and politics.
- National Journal (Print)Call Number: Periodicals section JK1 .N28Publication Date: 1971-1973Availability and more information from Catalyst...
Print is also available in the library.
- ProQuest Newsstream This link opens in a new window
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Full-text articles and citations from over 500 current newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Barron's, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Washington Post. Coverage from 1980-present for most papers. - Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Access to the full text of newspapers (foreign and domestic), as well as business, legal, medical, and reference publications.
Demographics
The U.S. Census collects and publishes statistics on demographics for each state.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
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The best way into Census Data. Pull sociodemographic information gathered by the census into customized reports. Start with the data source --> select geographies --> congressional districts --> choose variable or "premade reports." - data.census.gov This link opens in a new window
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Statistical population, housing, economic, and geographic data from the United States Census.
- CQ State Fact FinderCall Number: Reference HA214 .C68Availability and more information from Catalyst...
Allegiances and Alliances
The following sources enable you to find more information about the representative's allegiances and alliances. For instance, sources and amounts of campaign financing, background on associated interest groups, roll call votes, and more.
- Project Vote SmartInterest group ratings and more for each representative.
- Open SecretsFrom the Center for Responsive Politics, this site allows you to track campaign contributions from many different angles.
- CQ Almanac This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
A year-by-year analysis on politics and policy in the U.S. Congress, 1945-2009. Note: You can also search across all of the CQ Press reference resources here.
- CQ Almanac (Print)Call Number: JK1 .C66 (in the Books section, latest issue in the Reference section)Availability and more information from Catalyst...
Annual overview of major legislation, organized by topic.
- Federal Election CommissionCampaign finance information, including reports on who is giving and who is receiving donations, as well as laws and regulations.
Handbook of Campaign Spending by
Call Number: Oversized: JK1991 .M78 1994ISBN: 0871879972Publication Date: 1994-08-01Availability and more information from Catalyst...
Published by CQ. 1992 and 1994 editions. Essay chapters in the front section followed by descriptive entries and statistics by state and member of Congress.
- MAPlightUses data from Open Secrets and traces connections between interest groups, legislation, and representatives.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
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Profiles of representatives, roll call votes, financial disclosure statements. Under "Members & Committees," try searching in "Financial Disclosures," "Campaign Finance Reports," and "Campaign Contributors" where you can limit by PAC.
- VoteviewDW-Nominate and Roll Call data from Keith Poole.
- Govtrack.usBrings together a variety of data sources to provide information on spending, roll call votes, bills sponsored, and more for federal representatives.
- PIPC Roll Call DatasetData on roll call votes from 83rd Congress to present. Roll call votes pulled nightly and data updated.
Speeches and Debate
The following resources provide access to recent years of the Congressional Record. Published since 1873 by the Government Printing Office, the Congressional Record is a verbatim account of floor proceedings of the House and Senate. For help locating earlier years, ask a reference librarian.
- Congress.gov This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Search by keyword, member, Congress, or bill number. The default searches only the current Congress -- use the advanced search to search across multiple Congresses. It's easy to browse the Daily Digest from this site. 1989-forward. - ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
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Follow this link or from the library database's page. On the left, you'll see a link that says "Congressional Record & Rules." Click that then search by keyword, by member and by date or Congress (current back to 1985, 99th Congress).
