Note to reporters and editors: Dr. Tenpas, who is based in Washington, is available for interviews by contacting Jacquie Posey at 215-898-6460 or jposey@pobox.upenn.edu.

Nov. 19, 2002
PHILADELPHIA -- Despite Republican majorities in the House and Senate following the mid-term elections, Congress isn't likely to act with "great speed" on important pending legislation, according to Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, associate director of the University of Pennsylvania's Washington Semester program and guest scholar at the Brookings Institution.

Voters and Republican operatives who expect the President's initiatives on homeland security, Social Security and prescription-drug benefits to sail through Congress will be disappointed, Tenpas said.

"The margins of victory in both the House and Senate and the closeness of many elections reveal the competitiveness of the Democrats, suggesting that the mid-term election results were not necessarily a mandate for change. But conservatives in the House are eager to pursue a more conservative agenda, and Senate conservatives are similarly eager to approve judicial nominees and pass long-awaited conservative initiatives," she said.

In her book, "Presidents as Candidates: Inside the White House for the Presidential Campaign," Tenpas documented how the quest for re-election affects the institution of the presidency. Now she notes that the results of the mid- term elections are undoubtedly being carefully analyzed by White House advisors as President Bush begins gearing up for his 2004 re-election bid.

Though there may be a window for significant legislative achievement with the new Congress, Tenpas said, the Bush administration will likely take a far more cautious approach as the 2004 election draws closer.

"The President's pursuit of re-election will inhibit bold policy initiative as the White House seeks to expand its 2000 electoral coalition, reaching out to disaffected Democrats and independents," she said.