Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch

About the Book

A brief, accessible guide to the institution, Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch walks students through the inner workings of the modern Congress. Congressional experts Casey Burgat, Charles Hunt, and SoRelle Gaynor help students understand the branch by examining legislators' responsibilities toward constituents, the ways their backgrounds and perspectives influence their work, and the incentives that drive lawmaking in today′s hyperpolarized Congress. In this updated Second Edition, new features, case studies, and data-based figures focus on changes to the institution over time and the ways individuals operate the pulls and levers of the branch to achieve legislative goals.

About the Author :

Casey Burgat is an Assistant Professor and the director of the Legislative Affairs program at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. Prior to joining GWU, Dr. Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. Dr. Burgat writes regularly for both scholarly and journalistic publications, including CNN, the Washington Post, Politico, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Congress and the Presidency. He regularly appears on a variety of television and radio outlets.

Previously, Casey served as a staffer at the Congressional Research Service. There served in the Executive Branch Operations and the Congress & Judiciary sections. There, he was responsible for responding to congressional requests about federal rulemaking, issues of congressional reform, the president's role in federal budgeting, federal advisory committees and congressional staffing.

Casey received a masters degree from George Washington University and his doctorate in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Sara and two children.

Charles Hunt is an Associate Professor of Political Science in Boise State University's School of Public Service. He is also the author of Home Field Advantage: Roots, Reelection, and Representation in the Modern Congress, which assesses the local roots that members of Congress do (or do not) have in the local communities they represent, and the representational and electoral consequences of these roots.

He conducts research broadly on Congress, elections, representation, and political geography that has appeared in academic journals like the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and American Politics Research. His research has also been featured in journalistic outlets like The Washington Post, USA Today, US News and World Reports, and The Conversation.Charlie received a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Brown University before serving as Director of Public Affairs for a political consulting firm in Providence, Rhode Island. He then received his doctorate in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2019. Charlie lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife Keara and his dogs Rhody and Pennie.

SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Politics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on congressional leadership and political parties, institutional reform, and how Congress communicates. Her work has been published in Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Electoral Studies, and more, as well as public-facing entities like the Washington Post and PS Today.

SoRelle has worked in various capacities throughout Congress, including staff for House Leadership, as a Senate press secretary and speechwriter, and most recently, as an American Political Science Public Service Fellow for House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, where she researched and help implement solutions to improve and reform Congress. She received a bachelor's degree in journalism and history, with Honors, from the University of Alabama, and her doctorate in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2021. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Michael, and her sons, James and Lewis.

Review :
Congress Explained by Burgat and Hunt is a concise yet thorough text, perfect for courses that include more in-depth consideration of the presidency or other related topics. My students found the text to be clear and engaging.--Rodd Freitag "Review" (9/26/2025 12:00:00 AM)