The lasting effect of competitive elections on congressional approval: Evidence from the 2010 and 2011 Cooperative Congressional Election Study

• In Brunell's recent work, he argues that competitive elections negatively affect congressional approval.
• This study tests whether competitive elections affect congressional approval during and after an election.
• This study uses data from the 2010 and 2011 Cooperative Congressional Election Study.
• Competitive elections affected congressional approval in 2010, but the effect does not last.