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.