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Special Interest Groups

Interest Group Ratings

Rating Group: National Committee for an Effective Congress

1997-1998 Positions

Issues: Liberal
State Office District Name Party Rating
AK U.S. House At-Large Don Young Republican 10%
AL U.S. Senate Sr Richard Shelby Republican 5%
AL U.S. Senate Jr Jeff Sessions III Republican 0%
AL U.S. House 4 Robert Aderholt Republican 0%
AL U.S. House 6 Spencer Bachus Republican 5%
AZ U.S. Senate Sr John McCain III Republican 15%
AZ U.S. Senate Jr Jon Kyl Republican 0%
AZ U.S. House 4 Edward Pastor Democratic 85%
CA U.S. Senate Sr Dianne Feinstein Democratic 85%
CA U.S. Senate Jr Barbara Boxer Democratic 95%
CA U.S. House 2 Wally Herger, Jr. Republican 5%
CA U.S. House 6 Lynn Woolsey Democratic 100%
CA U.S. House 7 George Miller Democratic 95%
CA U.S. House 8 Nancy Pelosi Democratic 95%
CA U.S. House 13 Pete Stark Democratic 100%
CA U.S. House 14 Anna Eshoo Democratic 90%
CA U.S. House 16 Zoe Lofgren Democratic 90%
CA U.S. House 17 Sam Farr Democratic 95%
CA U.S. House 23 Lois Capps Democratic 95%
CA U.S. House 24 Elton Gallegly Republican 5%
CA U.S. House 25 Buck McKeon Republican 5%
CA U.S. House 26 David Dreier Republican 5%
CA U.S. House 27 Brad Sherman Democratic 80%
CA U.S. House 28 Howard Berman Democratic 85%
CA U.S. House 30 Henry Waxman Democratic 95%
CA U.S. House 31 Xavier Becerra Democratic 100%
CA U.S. House 34 Lucille Roybal-Allard Democratic 100%
CA U.S. House 35 Maxine Waters Democratic 95%
CA U.S. House 40 Ed Royce Republican 10%
CA U.S. House 41 Jerry Lewis Republican 10%
CA U.S. House 44 Ken Calvert Republican 5%
CA U.S. House 46 Dana Rohrabacher Republican 5%
CA U.S. House 47 Loretta Sanchez Democratic 85%
CA U.S. House 50 Brian Bilbray Republican 10%
CA U.S. House 51 Bob Filner Democratic 95%
CO U.S. House 1 Diana DeGette Democratic 95%
CO State Board of Education 4 Robert Schaffer Republican 5%
CT U.S. Senate Sr Joe Lieberman Independent Democrat 75%
CT U.S. House 3 Rosa DeLauro Democratic 95%
FL U.S. House 3 Corrine Brown Democratic 90%
FL U.S. House 6 Cliff Stearns Republican 5%
FL U.S. House 7 John Mica Republican 5%
FL U.S. House 10 Bill Young Republican 10%
FL U.S. House 18 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Republican 15%
FL U.S. House 23 Alcee Hastings, Sr. Democratic 95%
FL Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Charles Canady 5%
GA U.S. Senate Sr Saxby Chambliss Republican 5%
GA U.S. House 1 Jack Kingston Republican 5%
GA U.S. House 2 Sanford Bishop, Jr. Democratic 75%
GA U.S. House 5 John Lewis Democratic 100%
GA Governor Nathan Deal Republican 5%
HI U.S. Senate Sr Daniel Inouye Democratic 90%
HI U.S. Senate Jr Daniel Akaka, Sr. Democratic 95%
HI Governor Neil Abercrombie Democratic 90%
IA U.S. Senate Sr Chuck Grassley Republican 10%
IA U.S. Senate Jr Tom Harkin Democratic 95%
IA U.S. House 3 Leonard Boswell Democratic 70%
IA U.S. House 4 Tom Latham Republican 5%
ID U.S. Senate Sr Mike Crapo Republican 5%
IL U.S. Senate Sr Dick Durbin Democratic 95%
IL U.S. House 1 Bobby Rush Democratic 95%
IL U.S. House 2 Jesse Jackson, Jr. Democratic 95%
IL U.S. House 4 Luis Gutierrez Democratic 90%
IL U.S. House 7 Danny Davis Democratic 95%
IL U.S. House 12 Jerry Costello Democratic 75%
IL U.S. House 16 Don Manzullo Republican 5%
IL U.S. House 19 John Shimkus Republican 5%
IN U.S. Senate Sr Dick Lugar Republican 20%
IN U.S. House 1 Pete Visclosky Democratic 80%
IN U.S. House 5 Dan Burton Republican 5%
KS U.S. Senate Sr Pat Roberts Republican 10%
KS U.S. Senate Jr Jerry Moran Republican 5%
KS Governor Sam Brownback Republican 0%
KY U.S. Senate Sr Mitch McConnell Republican 5%
KY U.S. House 1 Ed Whitfield Republican 5%
KY U.S. House 5 Hal Rogers Republican 5%
LA U.S. Senate Sr Mary Landrieu Democratic 80%
MA U.S. Senate Sr John Kerry Democratic 95%
MA U.S. House 1 John Olver Democratic 100%
MA U.S. House 2 Richard Neal Democratic 90%
MA U.S. House 3 Jim McGovern Democratic 95%
MA U.S. House 4 Barney Frank Democratic 95%
MA U.S. House 6 John Tierney Democratic 95%
MA U.S. House 7 Ed Markey Democratic 95%
MD U.S. Senate Sr Barbara Mikulski Democratic 90%
MD U.S. Senate Jr Ben Cardin Democratic 85%
MD U.S. House 5 Steny Hoyer Democratic 85%
MD U.S. House 6 Roscoe Bartlett Republican 5%
MD U.S. House 7 Elijah Cummings Democratic 95%
ME U.S. Senate Sr Olympia Snowe Republican 40%
ME U.S. Senate Jr Susan Collins Republican 40%
MI U.S. Senate Sr Carl Levin Democratic 95%
MI U.S. Senate Jr Debbie Stabenow Democratic 85%
MI U.S. House 4 Dave Camp Republican 5%
MI U.S. House 5 Dale Kildee Democratic 80%
MI U.S. House 6 Fred Upton Republican 15%
MI U.S. House 12 Sandy Levin Democratic 90%
MI U.S. House 14 John Conyers, Jr. Democratic 95%
MI U.S. House 15 John Dingell Democratic 85%
MN U.S. House 7 Collin Peterson Democratic/Farmer/Labor 60%
MO U.S. Senate Jr Roy Blunt Republican 5%
MO U.S. House 8 Jo Ann Emerson Republican 5%
MS U.S. Senate Sr Thad Cochran Republican 20%
MS U.S. Senate Jr Roger Wicker Republican 5%
MS U.S. House 2 Bennie Thompson Democratic 90%
MT U.S. Senate Sr Max Baucus Democratic 75%
NA Vice President Joe Biden, Jr. Democratic 85%
NA U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood Republican 10%
NC U.S. Senate Sr Richard Burr Republican 5%
NC U.S. House 3 Walter Jones, Jr. Republican 5%
NC U.S. House 4 David Price Democratic 85%
NC U.S. House 6 Howard Coble Republican 5%
NC U.S. House 7 Mike McIntyre Democratic 55%
NC U.S. House 9 Sue Myrick Republican 5%
NC U.S. House 12 Mel Watt Democratic 95%
ND U.S. Senate Sr Kent Conrad Democratic-NPL 85%
NH U.S. House 2 Charlie Bass Republican 10%
NJ U.S. Senate Sr Frank Lautenberg Democratic 95%
NJ U.S. Senate Jr Bob Menendez Democratic 90%
NJ U.S. House 1 Rob Andrews Democratic 90%
NJ U.S. House 2 Frank LoBiondo Republican 20%
NJ U.S. House 4 Chris Smith Republican 20%
NJ U.S. House 6 Frank Pallone, Jr. Democratic 95%
NJ U.S. House 8 Bill Pascrell, Jr. Democratic 80%
NJ U.S. House 9 Steve Rothman Democratic 85%
NJ U.S. House 11 Rodney Frelinghuysen Republican 20%
NM U.S. Senate Sr Jeff Bingaman Democratic 90%
NV U.S. Senate Sr Harry Reid Democratic 85%
NY U.S. Senate Sr Chuck Schumer Democratic 90%
NY U.S. House 3 Pete King Republican 15%
NY U.S. House 4 Carolyn McCarthy Democratic 85%
NY U.S. House 5 Gary Ackerman Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 6 Gregory Meeks Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 8 Jerry Nadler Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 10 Ed Towns Democratic 90%
NY U.S. House 12 Nydia Velázquez Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 14 Carolyn Maloney Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 15 Charlie Rangel Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 16 José Serrano Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 17 Eliot Engel Democratic 90%
NY U.S. House 18 Nita Lowey Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 22 Maurice Hinchey Democratic 95%
NY U.S. House 28 Louise Slaughter Democratic 95%
OH U.S. Senate Sr Sherrod Brown Democratic 95%
OH U.S. Senate Jr Rob Portman Republican 10%
OH U.S. House 1 Steve Chabot Republican 10%
OH U.S. House 8 John Boehner Republican 5%
OH U.S. House 9 Marcy Kaptur Democratic 80%
OH U.S. House 10 Dennis Kucinich Democratic 80%
OH U.S. House 14 Steve LaTourette Republican 15%
OH Governor John Kasich Republican 5%
OH State Senate 28 Thomas Sawyer Democratic 95%
OH Attorney General Michael DeWine Republican 20%
OK U.S. Senate Sr Jim Inhofe Republican 0%
OK U.S. Senate Jr Thomas Coburn Republican 5%
OK U.S. House 3 Frank Lucas Republican 5%
OR U.S. Senate Sr Ron Wyden Democratic 85%
OR U.S. House 3 Earl Blumenauer Democratic 90%
OR U.S. House 4 Peter DeFazio Democratic 90%
PA U.S. House 2 Chaka Fattah, Sr. Democratic 95%
PA U.S. House 14 Mike Doyle, Jr. Democratic 70%
PA U.S. House 16 Joe Pitts Republican 5%
PA U.S. House 17 Thomas Holden Democratic 60%
RI U.S. Senate Sr Jack Reed Democratic 100%
SC U.S. Senate Sr Lindsey Graham Republican 5%
SC U.S. House 6 Jim Clyburn Democratic 90%
SD U.S. Senate Sr Timothy Johnson Democratic 90%
SD U.S. Senate Jr John Thune Republican 5%
TN U.S. House 2 John Duncan, Jr. Republican 10%
TX U.S. Senate Sr Kay Hutchison Republican 5%
TX U.S. House 3 Sam Johnson Republican 5%
TX U.S. House 4 Ralph Hall Republican 35%
TX U.S. House 6 Joe Barton Republican 5%
TX U.S. House 8 Kevin Brady Republican 0%
TX U.S. House 12 Kay Granger Republican 5%
TX U.S. House 13 Mac Thornberry Republican 5%
TX U.S. House 14 Ron Paul Republican 20%
TX U.S. House 15 Rubén Hinojosa-Flores, Sr. Democratic 85%
TX U.S. House 16 Silvestre Reyes Democratic 80%
TX U.S. House 18 Sheila Jackson Lee Democratic 95%
TX U.S. House 21 Lamar Smith Republican 5%
TX U.S. House 25 Lloyd Doggett Democratic 90%
TX U.S. House 29 Gene Green Democratic 75%
TX U.S. House 30 Eddie Johnson Democratic 90%
TX U.S. House 32 Pete Sessions Republican 0%
UT U.S. Senate Sr Orrin Hatch Republican 15%
VA U.S. House 3 Bobby Scott Democratic 90%
VA U.S. House 6 Bob Goodlatte Republican 5%
VA U.S. House 8 Jim Moran, Jr. Democratic 80%
VA U.S. House 10 Frank Wolf Republican 10%
VT U.S. Senate Sr Patrick Leahy Democratic 90%
VT U.S. Senate Jr Bernie Sanders Independent 95%
WA U.S. Senate Sr Patty Murray Democratic 95%
WA U.S. House 4 Richard Hastings Republican 0%
WA U.S. House 6 Norm Dicks Democratic 80%
WA U.S. House 7 Jim McDermott Democratic 95%
WA U.S. House 9 Adam Smith Democratic 80%
WI U.S. Senate Sr Herb Kohl Democratic 75%
WI U.S. House 3 Ron Kind Democratic 85%
WI U.S. House 5 Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. Republican 10%
WI U.S. House 6 Tom Petri Republican 15%
WI Mayor At-Large Tom Barrett Democratic 95%
WV U.S. Senate Sr Jay Rockefeller IV Democratic 90%
WV U.S. House 3 Nick Rahall II Democratic 75%
WY U.S. Senate Sr Mike Enzi Republican 0%
Edmond Spencer Abraham 10%
Wayne Allard 0%
Thomas Allen 90%
William Archer 0%
Richard Armey 5%
John Ashcroft 0%
Richard Hugh Baker 5%
John Baldacci 90%
Cass Ballenger 5%
James Barcia 65%
Robert Barr, Jr. 0%
William Barrett 5%
Herbert Bateman 10%
Bob Bennett 15%
Kenneth Bentsen, Jr. 80%
Douglas Bereuter 10%
Marion Berry 70%
Michael Bilirakis 5%
Rod Blagojevich 85%
Thomas Bliley, Jr. 5%
Sherwood Boehlert 30%
Kit Bond 15%
Henry Bonilla 10%
David Edward Bonior 95%
Robert Borski, Jr. 85%
Rick Boucher 80%
Allen Boyd, Jr. 65%
John Breaux 65%
George Brown, Jr. 95%
Richard Bryan 75%
Ed Bryant 5%
Jim Bunning 5%
Conrad Burns 5%
Steve Buyer 5%
Robert Byrd 80%
Herbert Callahan 5%
Ben Campbell 15%
Thomas Campbell 25%
Chris Cannon 5%
Julia Carson 95%
Mike Castle 25%
John Chafee 40%
Helen Chenoweth 5%
William Clay, Sr. 95%
Eva Clayton 95%
Joseph Maxwell Cleland 85%
Robert Clement 75%
Mac Collins 5%
Larry Combest 5%
Gary Condit 60%
Merrill Cook 10%
John Cooksey 5%
Paul Coverdell 10%
Christopher Cox 5%
William Coyne 95%
Larry Craig 5%
Robert Cramer 60%
Philip Crane 0%
Barbara Cubin 5%
Randall Cunningham 5%
Patsy Ann Danner 60%
Thomas Daschle 90%
James Davis 80%
Thomas Davis III 15%
Bill Delahunt 95%
Thomas DeLay 5%
Peter Deutsch 90%
Lincoln Diaz-Balart 15%
Jay Dickey 5%
Julian Dixon 90%
Chris Dodd 85%
Pete Domenici, Jr. 15%
Calvin Dooley 75%
John Doolittle 5%
Byron Dorgan 90%
Jennifer Dunn 5%
Chet Edwards 75%
Vern Ehlers 15%
Bob Ehrlich, Jr. 10%
Philip English 15%
Bob Etheridge 80%
Lane Evans 90%
Terry Everett 5%
Thomas Ewing 5%
Russ Feingold 90%
Mark Foley 10%
Michael Patrick Forbes 30%
Harold Ford, Jr. 90%
Vito Fossella, Jr. 5%
Tillie Fowler 5%
Robert Franks 25%
William Frist 15%
Jonas Frost III 85%
John Ganske 10%
Sam Gejdenson 95%
George Gekas 10%
Richard Andrew Gephardt 95%
Jim Gibbons 10%
Wayne Gilchrest 20%
Paul Gillmor 10%
Benjamin Gilman 30%
Virgil Goode, Jr. 35%
William Goodling 10%
Bart Gordon 70%
Slade Gorton 15%
Porter Goss 5%
Daniel Graham 75%
William Phillip Gramm 0%
Rodney Grams 0%
James Greenwood 20%
Judd Gregg 10%
Gilbert Gutknecht 5%
Charles Hagel 5%
Tony Hall 70%
James Hansen 5%
J. Dennis Hastert 5%
J.D. Hayworth, Jr. 5%
Joel Hefley 5%
Jesse Helms 0%
Rick Hill 5%
Van Hilleary 5%
Earl Hilliard, Jr. 90%
David Lee Hobson 10%
Pete Hoekstra 5%
Ernest Hollings 80%
Darlene Hooley 85%
Stephen Horn 25%
John Nathan Hostettler 5%
Amory Houghton, Jr. 25%
Kenny Hulshof 10%
Duncan Hunter 5%
William Hutchinson 5%
Y. Tim Hutchinson 5%
Henry Hyde 5%
Ernest Istook, Jr. 5%
William Jefferson 90%
James Merrill Jeffords 50%
William Lewis Jenkins 5%
Christopher John 60%
Nancy Johnson 30%
Paul Kanjorski 80%
Sue Kelly 20%
Edward Kennedy, Sr. 95%
Patrick Kennedy 95%
Bob Kerrey 85%
Carolyn Kilpatrick 95%
Gerald Kleczka 80%
Ronald Klink 70%
Joseph Knollenberg 10%
James Kolbe 15%
John LaFalce 85%
Nicholas Lampson 85%
Tom Lantos 95%
Stephen Largent 5%
Rick Lazio 20%
James Leach 30%
Ron Lewis 5%
John Linder 5%
William Lipinski 60%
Trent Lott, Sr. 5%
William Luther 80%
Connie Mack 10%
James Maloney 85%
Matthew Martinez 85%
Frank Mascara 70%
Robert Matsui 90%
Karen McCarthy 90%
Bill McCollum 5%
James McCrery III 5%
John McHugh 15%
Scott McInnis 5%
David McIntosh 5%
Cynthia Ann McKinney 90%
Michael McNulty 90%
Martin Meehan 95%
Carrie Meek 90%
Jack Metcalf 10%
Juanita Millender-McDonald 95%
Dan Miller 10%
David Minge 75%
Patsy Takemoto Mink 95%
John Moakley 90%
Alan Mollohan 70%
Constance Morella 40%
Daniel Patrick Moynihan 80%
Frank Murkowski 10%
Jack Murtha 65%
George Nethercutt, Jr. 5%
Robert William Ney 10%
Don Nickles 0%
Anne Northup 5%
Charles Norwood, Jr. 5%
James Nussle 5%
Jim Oberstar 85%
Dave Obey 90%
Solomon Ortiz, Sr. 65%
Major Owens 95%
Michael Oxley 10%
Ronald Packard 5%
Donald Payne 95%
Edward Pease 5%
John Peterson 5%
Charles Pickering, Jr. 5%
Owen Pickett 60%
Richard Pombo 5%
Earl Pomeroy 80%
John Edward Porter 20%
Deborah Pryce 5%
Jack Quinn 20%
George Radanovich 5%
James Ramstad 25%
Ralph Regula 10%
Bob Riley 5%
Lynn Nancy Rivers 90%
Charles Robb 75%
Ciro Rodriguez 85%
Timothy Roemer 65%
James Rogan 5%
William Roth, Jr. 20%
Marge Roukema 25%
Jim Ryun 0%
Martin Olav Sabo 90%
Matthew Salmon 5%
Max Sandlin, Jr. 75%
Mark Sanford, Jr. 10%
Rick Santorum 10%
Paul Sarbanes 100%
H. James Saxton 15%
Joe Scarborough 10%
John Shadegg 5%
E. Clay Shaw, Jr. 10%
Christopher Shays 30%
E.G. Shuster 5%
Norman Sisisky 60%
Joseph Skeen 10%
Ike Skelton 60%
Gordon Smith 15%
Nick Smith 10%
Bob Smith 0%
Vic Snyder 85%
Mark Souder 5%
Arlen Specter 50%
Floyd Spence 5%
John Spratt, Jr. 80%
Charles Stenholm 50%
Ted Stevens 20%
Ted Strickland 85%
Robert Stump 0%
Bart Stupak 85%
John Sununu 5%
James Talent 5%
John Tanner 65%
Ellen Tauscher 85%
William Tauzin 5%
Charles Taylor 5%
Gene Taylor 45%
Craig Thomas 5%
William Thomas 10%
Fred Thompson 10%
Karen Thurman 85%
Strom Thurmond 5%
Todd Tiahrt 0%
Robert Torricelli 90%
James Traficant, Jr. 25%
James Turner 65%
Bruce Vento 95%
James Walsh 15%
Zach Wamp 10%
John Warner 15%
Wesley Watkins 5%
Julius Caesar Watts, Jr. 5%
David Weldon 0%
W. Curtis Weldon 15%
Gerald Weller 10%
Paul Wellstone 95%
Robert Wexler 90%
Robert Weygand 85%
Robert Wise, Jr. 85%
Albert Wynn 85%

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.

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