Access Candidates' and Representatives' Biographies, Voting Records, Interest Group Ratings, Issue Positions, Public Statements, and Campaign Finances

Simply enter your zip code above to get to all of your candidates and representatives, or enter a name. Then, just click on the person you are interested in, and you can navigate to the categories of information we track for them.

Special Interest Groups

Interest Group Ratings

Rating Group: American Conservative Union

1996 Positions

Issues: Conservative
State Office District Name Party Rating
AK U.S. House At-Large Don Young Republican 89%
AL U.S. Senate Sr Richard Shelby Republican 90%
AL U.S. House 6 Spencer Bachus Republican 95%
AZ U.S. Senate Sr John McCain III Republican 95%
AZ U.S. Senate Jr Jon Kyl Republican 100%
AZ U.S. House 4 Edward Pastor Democratic 5%
CA U.S. Senate Sr Dianne Feinstein Democratic 20%
CA U.S. Senate Jr Barbara Boxer Democratic 5%
CA U.S. House 2 Wally Herger, Jr. Republican 100%
CA U.S. House 6 Lynn Woolsey Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 7 George Miller Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 8 Nancy Pelosi Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 13 Pete Stark Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 14 Anna Eshoo Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 16 Zoe Lofgren Democratic 5%
CA U.S. House 17 Sam Farr Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 24 Elton Gallegly Republican 100%
CA U.S. House 25 Buck McKeon Republican 100%
CA U.S. House 26 David Dreier Republican 100%
CA U.S. House 28 Howard Berman Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 30 Henry Waxman Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 31 Xavier Becerra Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 34 Lucille Roybal-Allard Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 35 Maxine Waters Democratic 0%
CA U.S. House 40 Ed Royce Republican 100%
CA U.S. House 41 Jerry Lewis Republican 83%
CA U.S. House 44 Ken Calvert Republican 95%
CA U.S. House 46 Dana Rohrabacher Republican 100%
CA U.S. House 50 Brian Bilbray Republican 74%
CA U.S. House 51 Bob Filner Democratic 0%
CT U.S. Senate Sr Joe Lieberman Independent Democrat 35%
CT U.S. House 3 Rosa DeLauro Democratic 0%
FL U.S. House 3 Corrine Brown Democratic 0%
FL U.S. House 6 Cliff Stearns Republican 100%
FL U.S. House 7 John Mica Republican 100%
FL U.S. House 10 Bill Young Republican 88%
FL U.S. House 18 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Republican 60%
FL U.S. House 23 Alcee Hastings, Sr. Democratic 0%
FL Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Charles Canady 85%
GA U.S. Senate Sr Saxby Chambliss Republican 100%
GA U.S. House 1 Jack Kingston Republican 100%
GA U.S. House 2 Sanford Bishop, Jr. Democratic 30%
GA U.S. House 5 John Lewis Democratic 0%
GA Governor Nathan Deal Republican 90%
HI U.S. Senate Sr Daniel Inouye Democratic 11%
HI U.S. Senate Jr Daniel Akaka, Sr. Democratic 5%
HI Governor Neil Abercrombie Democratic 0%
IA U.S. Senate Sr Chuck Grassley Republican 90%
IA U.S. Senate Jr Tom Harkin Democratic 10%
IA U.S. House 4 Tom Latham Republican 95%
ID U.S. Senate Sr Mike Crapo Republican 95%
IL U.S. Senate Sr Dick Durbin Democratic 0%
IL U.S. House 1 Bobby Rush Democratic 0%
IL U.S. House 2 Jesse Jackson, Jr. Democratic 0%
IL U.S. House 4 Luis Gutierrez Democratic 0%
IL U.S. House 12 Jerry Costello Democratic 30%
IL U.S. House 16 Don Manzullo Republican 100%
IN U.S. Senate Sr Dick Lugar Republican 95%
IN U.S. Senate Jr Daniel Coats Republican 100%
IN U.S. House 1 Pete Visclosky Democratic 15%
IN U.S. House 5 Dan Burton Republican 100%
KS U.S. Senate Sr Pat Roberts Republican 95%
KS Governor Sam Brownback Republican 100%
KY U.S. Senate Sr Mitch McConnell Republican 95%
KY U.S. House 1 Ed Whitfield Republican 85%
KY U.S. House 5 Hal Rogers Republican 95%
MA U.S. Senate Sr John Kerry Democratic 5%
MA U.S. House 1 John Olver Democratic 0%
MA U.S. House 2 Richard Neal Democratic 11%
MA U.S. House 4 Barney Frank Democratic 0%
MA U.S. House 7 Ed Markey Democratic 0%
MD U.S. Senate Sr Barbara Mikulski Democratic 0%
MD U.S. Senate Jr Ben Cardin Democratic 11%
MD U.S. House 5 Steny Hoyer Democratic 5%
MD U.S. House 6 Roscoe Bartlett Republican 100%
MD U.S. House 7 Elijah Cummings Democratic 0%
ME U.S. Senate Sr Olympia Snowe Republican 70%
MI U.S. Senate Sr Carl Levin Democratic 5%
MI U.S. House 4 Dave Camp Republican 95%
MI U.S. House 5 Dale Kildee Democratic 15%
MI U.S. House 6 Fred Upton Republican 85%
MI U.S. House 12 Sandy Levin Democratic 0%
MI U.S. House 14 John Conyers, Jr. Democratic 0%
MI U.S. House 15 John Dingell Democratic 25%
MN U.S. House 7 Collin Peterson Democratic/Farmer/Labor 53%
MS U.S. Senate Sr Thad Cochran Republican 94%
MS U.S. Senate Jr Roger Wicker Republican 100%
MS U.S. House 2 Bennie Thompson Democratic 5%
MT U.S. Senate Sr Max Baucus Democratic 20%
NA Vice President Joe Biden, Jr. Democratic 20%
NA U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood Republican 80%
NC U.S. Senate Sr Richard Burr Republican 100%
NC U.S. House 3 Walter Jones, Jr. Republican 100%
NC U.S. House 6 Howard Coble Republican 90%
NC U.S. House 9 Sue Myrick Republican 100%
NC U.S. House 12 Mel Watt Democratic 0%
ND U.S. Senate Sr Kent Conrad Democratic-NPL 15%
NH U.S. House 2 Charlie Bass Republican 100%
NJ U.S. Senate Sr Frank Lautenberg Democratic 0%
NJ U.S. Senate Jr Bob Menendez Democratic 5%
NJ U.S. House 1 Rob Andrews Democratic 25%
NJ U.S. House 2 Frank LoBiondo Republican 70%
NJ U.S. House 4 Chris Smith Republican 80%
NJ U.S. House 6 Frank Pallone, Jr. Democratic 10%
NJ U.S. House 11 Rodney Frelinghuysen Republican 75%
NM U.S. Senate Sr Jeff Bingaman Democratic 0%
NV U.S. Senate Sr Harry Reid Democratic 15%
NY U.S. Senate Sr Chuck Schumer Democratic 5%
NY U.S. House 3 Pete King Republican 79%
NY U.S. House 5 Gary Ackerman Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 8 Jerry Nadler Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 10 Ed Towns Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 12 Nydia Velázquez Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 14 Carolyn Maloney Democratic 5%
NY U.S. House 15 Charlie Rangel Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 16 José Serrano Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 17 Eliot Engel Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 18 Nita Lowey Democratic 0%
NY U.S. House 22 Maurice Hinchey Democratic 5%
NY U.S. House 28 Louise Slaughter Democratic 5%
OH U.S. Senate Sr Sherrod Brown Democratic 0%
OH U.S. Senate Jr Rob Portman Republican 100%
OH U.S. House 1 Steve Chabot Republican 100%
OH U.S. House 8 John Boehner Republican 100%
OH U.S. House 9 Marcy Kaptur Democratic 15%
OH U.S. House 14 Steve LaTourette Republican 80%
OH Governor John Kasich Republican 95%
OH State Senate 28 Thomas Sawyer Democratic 0%
OH Attorney General Michael DeWine Republican 85%
OK U.S. Senate Sr Jim Inhofe Republican 100%
OK U.S. Senate Jr Thomas Coburn Republican 89%
OK U.S. House 3 Frank Lucas Republican 100%
OR U.S. Senate Sr Ron Wyden Democratic 15%
OR U.S. House 3 Earl Blumenauer Democratic 0%
OR U.S. House 4 Peter DeFazio Democratic 5%
PA U.S. House 2 Chaka Fattah, Sr. Democratic 0%
PA U.S. House 14 Mike Doyle, Jr. Democratic 32%
PA U.S. House 17 Thomas Holden Democratic 47%
RI U.S. Senate Sr Jack Reed Democratic 5%
SC U.S. Senate Sr Lindsey Graham Republican 100%
SC U.S. House 6 Jim Clyburn Democratic 5%
SD U.S. Senate Sr Timothy Johnson Democratic 37%
TN U.S. House 2 John Duncan, Jr. Republican 85%
TX U.S. Senate Sr Kay Hutchison Republican 100%
TX U.S. House 3 Sam Johnson Republican 100%
TX U.S. House 4 Ralph Hall Republican 90%
TX U.S. House 6 Joe Barton Republican 89%
TX U.S. House 13 Mac Thornberry Republican 100%
TX U.S. House 18 Sheila Jackson Lee Democratic 5%
TX U.S. House 21 Lamar Smith Republican 100%
TX U.S. House 25 Lloyd Doggett Democratic 0%
TX U.S. House 29 Gene Green Democratic 28%
TX U.S. House 30 Eddie Johnson Democratic 0%
UT U.S. Senate Sr Orrin Hatch Republican 100%
VA U.S. House 3 Bobby Scott Democratic 0%
VA U.S. House 6 Bob Goodlatte Republican 95%
VA U.S. House 8 Jim Moran, Jr. Democratic 20%
VA U.S. House 10 Frank Wolf Republican 95%
VT U.S. Senate Sr Patrick Leahy Democratic 5%
VT U.S. Senate Jr Bernie Sanders Independent 0%
WA U.S. Senate Sr Patty Murray Democratic 0%
WA U.S. House 4 Richard Hastings Republican 100%
WA U.S. House 6 Norm Dicks Democratic 0%
WA U.S. House 7 Jim McDermott Democratic 0%
WI U.S. Senate Sr Herb Kohl Democratic 20%
WI U.S. House 5 Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. Republican 100%
WI U.S. House 6 Tom Petri Republican 100%
WI Mayor At-Large Tom Barrett Democratic 5%
WV U.S. Senate Sr Jay Rockefeller IV Democratic 16%
WV U.S. House 3 Nick Rahall II Democratic 20%
Edmond Spencer Abraham 95%
Wayne Allard 100%
William Archer 100%
Richard Armey 100%
John Ashcroft 100%
Henry Scott Baesler 25%
Richard Hugh Baker 95%
William Baker 100%
John Baldacci 10%
Cass Ballenger 100%
James Barcia 47%
Robert Barr, Jr. 100%
William Barrett 95%
Herbert Bateman 85%
Anthony Beilenson 0%
Bob Bennett 95%
Kenneth Bentsen, Jr. 10%
Douglas Bereuter 60%
Tom Bevill 41%
Michael Bilirakis 90%
Thomas Bliley, Jr. 100%
Peter Blute 60%
Sherwood Boehlert 50%
Kit Bond 90%
Henry Bonilla 85%
David Edward Bonior 5%
Sonny Bono 95%
Robert Borski, Jr. 10%
Rick Boucher 15%
Bill Bradley 5%
Carol Moseley Braun 5%
John Breaux 20%
Bill Brewster 68%
Glen Browder 58%
George Brown, Jr. 0%
Hank Brown 95%
Richard Bryan 10%
Ed Bryant 100%
John Bryant 0%
Dale Bumpers 0%
Jim Bunn 65%
Jim Bunning 100%
Conrad Burns 100%
Steve Buyer 95%
Robert Byrd 15%
Herbert Callahan 100%
Ben Campbell 78%
Thomas Campbell 60%
Mike Castle 60%
John Chafee 60%
Jim Chapman 14%
Helen Chenoweth 95%
Jon Lynn Christensen 100%
Dick Chrysler 95%
William Clay, Sr. 6%
Eva Clayton 5%
Robert Clement 30%
William Clinger 83%
William Cohen 59%
Ronald Coleman 0%
Barbara-Rose Collins 0%
Cardiss Collins 0%
Mac Collins 100%
Larry Combest 95%
Gary Condit 70%
Wes Cooley 95%
Paul Coverdell 100%
Christopher Cox 100%
William Coyne 0%
Larry Craig 95%
Robert Cramer 55%
Philip Crane 100%
Frank Arnold Cremeans 95%
Barbara Cubin 100%
Randall Cunningham 100%
Alfonse D'Amato 75%
Patsy Ann Danner 45%
Thomas Daschle 0%
Thomas Davis III 79%
E. Kika de la Garza 36%
Thomas DeLay 100%
Ronald Dellums 0%
Peter Deutsch 18%
Lincoln Diaz-Balart 60%
Jay Dickey 100%
Julian Dixon 0%
Chris Dodd 10%
Robert Dole 87%
Pete Domenici, Jr. 85%
Calvin Dooley 15%
John Doolittle 100%
Byron Dorgan 20%
Robert Dornan 95%
Jennifer Dunn 100%
Chet Edwards 20%
Vern Ehlers 79%
Bob Ehrlich, Jr. 100%
Bill Emerson 100%
Philip English 74%
John Ensign 85%
Lane Evans 0%
Terry Everett 100%
Thomas Ewing 100%
Jim Exon 32%
Duncan McLauchlin Faircloth 95%
Harris Fawell 85%
Victor Fazio 0%
Russ Feingold 10%
Cleo Fields 0%
Jack Fields, Jr. 100%
Floyd Flake 6%
Michael Patrick Flanagan 80%
Thomas Foglietta 5%
Mark Foley 90%
Michael Patrick Forbes 84%
Harold Ford, Sr. 7%
Wendell Ford 40%
Tillie Fowler 95%
Jon David Fox 65%
Sheila Frahm 100%
Gary Franks 90%
Robert Franks 63%
Daniel Frisa 80%
William Frist 95%
Jonas Frost III 10%
David Funderburk 100%
Elizabeth Furse 5%
John Ganske 83%
Sam Gejdenson 0%
George Gekas 100%
Richard Andrew Gephardt 6%
Pete Geren 76%
Sam Gibbons 6%
Wayne Gilchrest 80%
Paul Gillmor 84%
Benjamin Gilman 45%
Newt Gingrich 100%
John Glenn 10%
Henry Gonzalez 15%
William Goodling 95%
Bart Gordon 50%
Slade Gorton 85%
Porter Goss 95%
Daniel Graham 15%
William Phillip Gramm 100%
Rodney Grams 95%
Enid Greene 95%
James Greenwood 60%
Judd Gregg 75%
Steven Gunderson 75%
Gilbert Gutknecht 100%
Tony Hall 15%
Lee Hamilton 45%
Melton Hancock 100%
James Hansen 100%
Jane Harman 26%
J. Dennis Hastert 100%
Mark Hatfield 50%
James Hayes 82%
J.D. Hayworth, Jr. 100%
Joel Hefley 100%
W.G. Hefner 30%
Fredrick Kenneth Fred' Heineman 94%
Jesse Helms 100%
Van Hilleary 95%
Earl Hilliard, Jr. 15%
David Lee Hobson 90%
Pete Hoekstra 95%
Martin Hoke 85%
Ernest Hollings 20%
Stephen Horn 63%
John Nathan Hostettler 95%
Amory Houghton, Jr. 60%
Duncan Hunter 100%
Y. Tim Hutchinson 100%
Henry Hyde 90%
Bob Inglis, Sr. 100%
Ernest Istook, Jr. 100%
Andrew Jacobs, Jr. 32%
William Jefferson 5%
James Merrill Jeffords 45%
Nancy Johnson 55%
Harry Johnston 0%
J. Bennett Johnston 30%
Paul Kanjorski 30%
Nancy Landon Kassebaum 63%
Sue Kelly 70%
Dirk Kempthorne 95%
Edward Kennedy, Sr. 0%
Joseph Kennedy II 0%
Patrick Kennedy 10%
Barbara Bailey Kennelly 10%
Bob Kerrey 5%
Jay Kim 100%
Gerald Kleczka 10%
Ronald Klink 30%
Scott Klug 75%
Joseph Knollenberg 95%
James Kolbe 90%
John LaFalce 5%
Tom Lantos 0%
Stephen Largent 100%
Greg Laughlin 100%
Rick Lazio 75%
James Leach 37%
Ron Lewis 100%
Jim Ross Lightfoot 95%
Blanche Lincoln 36%
John Linder 100%
William Lipinski 40%
Robert Livingston 95%
James Longley, Jr. 74%
Trent Lott, Sr. 95%
William Luther 0%
Connie Mack 100%
Thomas Manton 26%
Matthew Martinez 10%
Bill Martini 60%
Frank Mascara 35%
Robert Matsui 0%
Karen McCarthy 5%
Bill McCollum 95%
James McCrery III 95%
Joseph McDade 75%
Paul McHale 20%
John McHugh 79%
Scott McInnis 100%
David McIntosh 100%
Cynthia Ann McKinney 0%
Michael McNulty 22%
Martin Meehan 0%
Carrie Meek 5%
Jack Metcalf 90%
Jan Meyers 80%
Dan Miller 95%
David Minge 15%
Patsy Takemoto Mink 5%
John Moakley 6%
Susan Molinari 88%
Alan Mollohan 15%
G.V. Montgomery 89%
Carlos Moorhead 100%
Constance Morella 30%
Daniel Patrick Moynihan 10%
Frank Murkowski 95%
Jack Murtha 25%
John Myers 100%
George Nethercutt, Jr. 95%
Mark Neumann 95%
Robert William Ney 85%
Don Nickles 100%
Charles Norwood, Jr. 100%
Sam Nunn 45%
James Nussle 95%
Jim Oberstar 20%
Dave Obey 25%
Solomon Ortiz, Sr. 37%
William Orton 40%
Major Owens 0%
Michael Oxley 100%
Ronald Packard 94%
Paul Michael Parker 100%
William Paxon 100%
Donald Payne 0%
Lewis Payne, Jr. 30%
Claiborne Pell 5%
Pete Peterson 23%
Owen Pickett 50%
Richard Pombo 100%
Earl Pomeroy 11%
John Edward Porter 80%
Glenn Poshard 45%
Larry Pressler 95%
Deborah Pryce 85%
David Pryor 6%
James Quillen 94%
Jack Quinn 58%
George Radanovich 100%
James Ramstad 70%
Ralph Regula 75%
Bill Richardson 15%
Frank Duncan Riggs 85%
Lynn Nancy Rivers 5%
Charles Robb 20%
Timothy Roemer 40%
Charles Rose III 13%
Toby Roth 100%
William Roth, Jr. 85%
Marge Roukema 53%
Martin Olav Sabo 0%
Matthew Salmon 100%
Mark Sanford, Jr. 95%
Rick Santorum 95%
Paul Sarbanes 0%
H. James Saxton 84%
Joe Scarborough 95%
Daniel Schaefer 100%
Steven Schiff 63%
Patricia Schroeder 0%
Andrea Seastrand 100%
John Shadegg 100%
E. Clay Shaw, Jr. 95%
Christopher Shays 60%
E.G. Shuster 100%
Paul Simon 0%
Alan Simpson 65%
Norman Sisisky 55%
David Skaggs 0%
Joseph Skeen 90%
Ike Skelton 50%
Linda Smith 84%
Nick Smith 95%
Bob Smith 100%
Gerald B.H. Solomon 95%
Mark Souder 95%
Arlen Specter 50%
Floyd Spence 100%
John Spratt, Jr. 25%
Charles Stenholm 65%
Ted Stevens 80%
Steve Stockman 83%
Louis Stokes 0%
Gerry Studds 0%
Robert Stump 100%
Bart Stupak 20%
James Talent 100%
John Tanner 47%
Randy Tate 100%
William Tauzin 90%
Charles Taylor 100%
Gene Taylor 80%
Frank Tejeda 37%
Craig Thomas 100%
William Thomas 90%
Fred Thompson 85%
Ray Thornton 12%
Karen Thurman 15%
Strom Thurmond 95%
Todd Tiahrt 100%
Peter Torkildsen 50%
Esteban Edward Torres 0%
Robert Torricelli 21%
James Traficant, Jr. 50%
Bruce Vento 0%
Harold Volkmer 30%
Barbara Vucanovich 100%
Robert Walker 100%
James Walsh 68%
Zach Wamp 100%
Michael Ward 17%
John Warner 95%
Julius Caesar Watts, Jr. 100%
David Weldon 100%
W. Curtis Weldon 84%
Gerald Weller 84%
Paul Wellstone 5%
Rick White 95%
Pat Williams 5%
Charles Wilson 8%
Robert Wise, Jr. 10%
Albert Wynn 0%
Sidney Yates 0%
Bill Zeliff 100%
Richard Zimmer 63%

How to Interpret these Evaluations

Keep in mind that ratings done by special interest groups often do not represent a non-partisan stance. In addition, some groups select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issues concerns. Nevertheless, they can be invaluable in showing where an incumbent has stood on a series of votes in the past one or two years, especially when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Website links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering performance evaluations are accessible by clicking on the name of the group.

Most performance evaluations are displayed in a percentage format. However, some organizations present their ratings in the form of a letter grade or endorsement based on voting records, interviews, survey results and/or sources of campaign funding. For consistency and ease in understanding, Project Vote Smart converts all scores into a percentage when possible. Please visit the group's website or call 1-888-VOTESMART for more specific information.

Back to top