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Theory: We argue that voters, as principals, evaluate congressional candidates in terms of whether those candidates will act as effective agents. Hypotheses: U.S. House incumbents' levels of competence and integrity influence both the individual-level vote choice and voters' evaluations of their representatives. Methods: Indicators of competence and integrity for representatives who entered the House between 1969 and 1981 are merged with the NES cumulative file, with data for the 1976-92 elections. The relationship between incumbent quality and electoral choice is explored in a series of OLS regression and logistic regression models. Results: Incumbents' levels of integrity bring direct influence on both feeling thermometer scores and the vote choice. Competence exerts an indirect effect on the vote by influencing the behavior of prospective challengers.
McCurley et al. (1995) studied this question.
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