Hydraulic fracking generated unexpected shale oil and gas booms. After these booms, voter support for Republicans rises, leading Republicans to win seats from Democrats. Roll-call voting by House members becomes more conservative after shale across issues extending beyond energy or the economy....

Localized hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) booms in the United States present a unique opportunity to explore migration responses to positive labor demand shocks in the current context of low geographic mobility. Using data from 1999 to 2013, I show that fracking led to large increases in...