National sentiment toward Congress has been increasingly hostile — a recent Gallup poll shows that only 18 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress has been doing. This is not a new trend. The highest approval rating for Congress Gallup reported in the past four years is 39 percent.

Given these dismal numbers, one would think that the American people drop their elected officials like a bad habit. However, statistics show otherwise.

The Center for Responsive Politics reported very high re-election, or incumbency, rates for both houses of Congress in the 2008 election cycle. The incumbency rate for the Senate in 2008 was 83 percent. Elected officials in the House of Representatives had an even higher rate, at 94 percent. These rates are eye-popping given the approval rating of Congress. So what is it that makes Americans so negative towards Congress, yet re-elect these officials every second November?

Members of Congress have such high incumbency rates because they have experience, which is imperative in a republican democracy. Fresh faces would give more people more opportunities, but they would not necessarily have the skills needed to govern a nation of more than 300 million people. Experience breeds efficiency and leadership.

The late Sen. Ted Kennedy is perhaps one of the most efficient lawmakers this country has every seen. Forty-six years in the Senate produced 15,235 votes, 2,500 bills written, and 552 cosponsored pieces of legislation that eventually became law.

His name is attached to some of the most notable bills of our day, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the State Children’s Heath Insurance Program in 1997, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007.

Experienced lawmakers also know to remain levelheaded and lead in a crisis. This Congress, with its incumbency rate, has been incredibly decisive when the moment required it.

Both the House and the Senate passed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, otherwise known as the stimulus bill, to save us from an economic crisis that might have brought this country to its knees. Now, the House and Senate are pressing forward on bills focused on creating more jobs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rallied her caucus and passed an overhaul of financial regulatory practices, sweeping health care legislation, and a momentous cap and trade bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid kept his caucus together to pass the wide-reaching health care legislation.

This is quite an impressive track record this Congress has. Opportunity knocked for these elected officials and they answered the door. Thankfully for the American people, these members of Congress did not drop their constituents like a bad habit.

Reach Andrew at andrew.hedlund@asu.edu