Changing the Guard in the U. S. Senate

On the basis of a study of the partisan transition in the U.S. Senate following the 1980 elections, several explanations for divided control of Congress are considered, and strategic consequences of the division are explored. Attempted internal changes in such areas as scheduling, committee coordination, and staffing are described. Partisan transitions-a rarity in the modem Congress-are a reminder of what control of a chamber means to a party. The absence of major internal changes following this transition suggests the extent to which the contemporary Senate has become institutionalized.