Rating Group: United States Chamber of Commerce

1997 Positions

State Office Name Party Rating
Edmond Spencer Abraham Other 90%
Gary Ackerman Other 33%
Daniel Akaka, Sr. Other 60%
Wayne Allard Other 80%
Thomas Allen Other 50%
Bill Archer Other 100%
Richard Armey Other 100%
John Ashcroft Other 70%
Henry Scott Baesler Other 70%
Richard Hugh Baker Other 100%
John Baldacci Other 60%
Cass Ballenger Other 100%
James Barcia Other 60%
Robert Barr, Jr. Other 80%
Bill Barrett Other 100%
Roscoe Bartlett Other 90%
Charlie Bass Other 90%
Herbert Bateman Other 100%
Bob Bennett Other 100%
Kenneth Bentsen, Jr. Other 60%
Douglas Bereuter Other 90%
Howard Berman Other 33%
Marion Berry Other 60%
Brian Bilbray Other 80%
Michael Bilirakis Other 100%
Jeff Bingaman Other 60%
Rod Blagojevich Other 40%
Thomas Bliley, Jr. Other 100%
Sherwood Boehlert Other 67%
Kit Bond Other 100%
Henry Bonilla Other 90%
David Edward Bonior Other 40%
Sonny Bono Other 90%
Robert Borski, Jr. Other 30%
Leonard Boswell Other 70%
Rick Boucher Other 40%
Allen Boyd, Jr. Other 80%
John Breaux Other 70%
George Brown, Jr. Other 30%
Richard Bryan Other 70%
Ed Bryant Other 100%
Dale Bumpers Other 40%
Jim Bunning Other 90%
Conrad Burns Other 78%
Dan Burton Other 80%
Steve Buyer Other 100%
Robert Byrd Other 40%
Herbert Callahan Other 90%
Ben Campbell Other 60%
Thomas Campbell Other 80%
FL Justice of the Supreme Court Charles Canady Other 100%
Chris Cannon Other 90%
Walter Holden Capps Other 50%
Julia Carson Other 30%
Mike Castle Other 90%
John Chafee Other 100%
Helen Chenoweth-Hage Other 70%
Jon Lynn Christensen Other 100%
William Clay, Sr. Other 20%
Eva Clayton Other 40%
Joseph Maxwell Cleland Other 80%
Robert Clement Other 80%
Michael Collins Other 80%
Larry Combest Other 100%
Gary Condit Other 60%
Kent Conrad Other 50%
Merrill Cook Other 80%
John Cooksey Other 100%
Jerry Costello Other 40%
Paul Coverdell Other 90%
Christopher Cox Other 75%
William Coyne Other 20%
Larry Craig Other 100%
Robert Cramer Other 80%
Philip Crane Other 80%
Barbara Cubin Other 71%
Randall Cunningham Other 100%
Alfonse D'Amato Other 70%
Patsy Ann Danner Other 70%
Thomas Daschle Other 60%
James Davis Other 60%
Thomas Davis III Other 100%
Bill Delahunt Other 20%
Thomas DeLay Other 100%
Ronald Dellums Other 20%
Peter Deutsch Other 60%
Lincoln Diaz-Balart Other 70%
Jay Dickey Other 80%
Norm Dicks Other 60%
Julian Dixon Other 30%
Chris Dodd Other 50%
Pete Domenici, Jr. Other 100%
Calvin Dooley Other 90%
John Doolittle Other 80%
Byron Dorgan Other 50%
David Dreier Other 100%
Jennifer Dunn Other 100%
Chet Edwards Other 70%
Vern Ehlers Other 90%
Bob Ehrlich, Jr. Other 90%
Jo Ann Emerson Other 90%
Philip English Other 70%
John Ensign Other 80%
Bob Etheridge Other 70%
Lane Evans Other 20%
Terry Everett Other 80%
Thomas Ewing Other 80%
Duncan McLauchlin Faircloth Other 60%
Harris Fawell Other 90%
Victor Fazio Other 60%
Russ Feingold Other 20%
Thomas Foglietta Other 40%
Mark Foley Other 100%
Michael Patrick Forbes Other 60%
Harold Ford, Jr. Other 60%
Wendell Ford Other 30%
Tillie Fowler Other 90%
Jon David Fox Other 90%
Barney Frank Other 30%
Robert Franks Other 90%
William Frist Other 100%
Jonas Frost III Other 60%
Elizabeth Furse Other 40%
Elton Gallegly Other 100%
John Ganske Other 70%
Sam Gejdenson Other 40%
George Gekas Other 100%
Richard Andrew Gephardt Other 11%
Jim Gibbons Other 80%
Wayne Gilchrest Other 90%
Paul Gillmor Other 89%
Benjamin Gilman Other 60%
Newt Gingrich Other 100%
John Glenn Other 40%
Henry Gonzalez Other 33%
Virgil Goode, Jr. Other 80%
William Goodling Other 90%
Bart Gordon Other 70%
Slade Gorton Other 100%
Porter Goss Other 80%
Daniel Graham Other 80%
William Phillip Gramm Other 80%
Rodney Grams Other 80%
James Greenwood Other 90%
Judd Gregg Other 100%
Gilbert Gutknecht Other 100%
Tony Hall Other 50%
Lee Hamilton Other 60%
James Hansen Other 90%
Jane Harman Other 80%
J. Dennis Hastert Other 100%
J.D. Hayworth, Jr. Other 90%
Joel Hefley Other 80%
W.G. Hefner Other 38%
Jesse Helms Other 70%
Wally Herger, Jr. Other 90%
Rick Hill Other 80%
Van Hilleary Other 90%
Earl Hilliard, Jr. Other 44%
Maurice Hinchey Other 20%
David Lee Hobson Other 90%
Pete Hoekstra Other 100%
Thomas Holden Other 70%
Ernest Hollings Other 20%
Darlene Hooley Other 50%
Stephen Horn Other 60%
John Nathan Hostettler Other 80%
Amory Houghton, Jr. Other 90%
Kenny Hulshof Other 90%
Duncan Hunter Other 80%
Asa Hutchinson Other 90%
Y. Tim Hutchinson Other 80%
Kay Hutchison Other 100%
Henry Hyde Other 70%
Bob Inglis, Sr. Other 90%
Daniel Inouye Other 50%
Ernest Istook, Jr. Other 89%
Jesse Jackson, Jr. Other 20%
William Jefferson Other 50%
James Merrill Jeffords Other 100%
William Lewis Jenkins Other 100%
Christopher John Other 100%
Jay Johnson Other 50%
Nancy Johnson Other 80%
Paul Kanjorski Other 40%
Sue Kelly Other 70%
Dirk Kempthorne Other 100%
Edward Kennedy, Sr. Other 40%
Joseph Kennedy II Other 20%
Patrick Kennedy Other 20%
Barbara Bailey Kennelly Other 60%
Bob Kerrey Other 60%
Dale Kildee Other 40%
Carolyn Kilpatrick Other 30%
Jay Kim Other 100%
Gerald Kleczka Other 50%
Ronald Klink Other 33%
Scott Klug Other 70%
Joseph Knollenberg Other 100%
Herb Kohl Other 80%
James Kolbe Other 100%
Dennis Kucinich Other 20%
Jon Kyl Other 70%
John LaFalce Other 40%
Ray LaHood Other 80%
Nicholas Lampson Other 50%
Tom Lantos Other 33%
Stephen Largent Other 90%
Steve LaTourette Other 90%
Rick Lazio Other 80%
James Leach Other 100%
Jerry Lewis Other 80%
Ron Lewis Other 78%
Joe Lieberman Other 60%
John Linder Other 100%
William Lipinski Other 40%
Robert Livingston Other 100%
Trent Lott, Sr. Other 90%
Dick Lugar Other 90%
William Luther Other 60%
Connie Mack Other 80%
James Maloney Other 60%
Thomas Manton Other 44%
Don Manzullo Other 90%
Matthew Martinez Other 60%
Frank Mascara Other 50%
Robert Matsui Other 40%
Karen McCarthy Other 60%
Bill McCollum Other 90%
James McCrery III Other 100%
Joseph McDade Other 80%
Paul McHale Other 50%
John McHugh Other 80%
Scott McInnis Other 90%
David McIntosh Other 67%
Cynthia Ann McKinney Other 30%
Michael McNulty Other 30%
Martin Meehan Other 44%
Carrie Meek Other 40%
Jack Metcalf Other 60%
Juanita Millender-McDonald Other 30%
Dan Miller Other 100%
David Minge Other 70%
Patsy Takemoto Mink Other 20%
John Moakley Other 30%
Alan Mollohan Other 30%
Constance Morella Other 90%
Carol Moseley Braun Other 70%
Patrick Moynihan Other 50%
Frank Murkowski Other 100%
Jack Murtha Other 56%
Sue Myrick Other 90%
George Nethercutt, Jr. Other 100%
Mark Neumann Other 90%
Robert William Ney Other 80%
Don Nickles Other 100%
Anne Northup Other 100%
Charles Norwood, Jr. Other 90%
James Nussle Other 100%
Jim Oberstar Other 40%
Dave Obey Other 30%
John Olver Other 30%
Solomon Ortiz, Sr. Other 60%
Major Owens Other 20%
Michael Oxley Other 100%
Ronald Packard Other 100%
Michael Pappas Other 70%
Mike Parker Other 90%
Ron Paul Other 60%
William Paxon Other 90%
Donald Payne Other 20%
Edward Pease Other 90%
John Peterson Other 100%
Charles Pickering, Jr. Other 90%
Owen Pickett Other 80%
Richard Pombo Other 60%
Earl Pomeroy Other 60%
John Edward Porter Other 90%
Glenn Poshard Other 50%
Deborah Pryce Other 100%
Jack Quinn Other 78%
George Radanovich Other 80%
James Ramstad Other 90%
Bill Redmond Other 100%
Ralph Regula Other 90%
Silvestre Reyes Other 40%
Frank Duncan Riggs Other 100%
Bob Riley Other 78%
Lynn Nancy Rivers Other 30%
Charles Robb Other 70%
Ciro Rodriguez Other 56%
Timothy Roemer Other 70%
James Rogan Other 80%
William Roth, Jr. Other 100%
Steve Rothman Other 40%
Marge Roukema Other 80%
Jim Ryun Other 100%
Martin Olav Sabo Other 30%
Max Sandlin, Jr. Other 70%
Rick Santorum Other 90%
Paul Sarbanes Other 30%
Jim Saxton Other 80%
Joe Scarborough Other 70%
Daniel Schaefer Other 90%
Steven Schiff Other 0%
John Shadegg Other 80%
E. Clay Shaw, Jr. Other 100%
Christopher Shays Other 70%
E.G. Shuster Other 90%
Norman Sisisky Other 70%
David Skaggs Other 40%
Joseph Skeen Other 100%
Ike Skelton Other 78%
Gordon Smith Other 100%
Linda Smith Other 70%
Nick Smith Other 90%
Robert Smith Other 100%
Bob Smith Other 50%
Vincent Snowbarger Other 100%
Olympia Snowe Other 70%
Vic Snyder Other 60%
Gerald B.H. Solomon Other 78%
Mark Souder Other 80%
Arlen Specter Other 50%
Floyd Spence Other 90%
John Spratt, Jr. Other 50%
Pete Stark Other 10%
Cliff Stearns Other 70%
Charles Stenholm Other 90%
Ted Stevens Other 80%
Louis Stokes Other 20%
Ted Strickland Other 44%
Bob Stump Other 90%
Bart Stupak Other 40%
John Sununu Other 100%
James Talent Other 80%
John Tanner Other 80%
Ellen Tauscher Other 50%
William Tauzin Other 100%
Charles Taylor Other 100%
Gene Taylor Other 80%
Craig Thomas Other 90%
William Thomas Other 100%
Fred Thompson Other 60%
Karen Thurman Other 60%
Strom Thurmond Other 80%
Todd Tiahrt Other 90%
Esteban Edward Torres Other 30%
Robert Torricelli Other 40%
Ed Towns Other 33%
James Traficant, Jr. Other 60%
James Turner Other 80%
Bruce Vento Other 40%
James Walsh Other 80%
Zach Wamp Other 80%
John Warner Other 100%
Wesley Watkins Other 89%
Julius Caesar Watts, Jr. Other 89%
David Weldon Other 67%
W. Curtis Weldon Other 89%
Gerald Weller Other 80%
Paul Wellstone Other 10%
Robert Wexler Other 40%
Bob Weygand Other 30%
Rick White Other 100%
Bob Wise, Jr. Other 40%
Lynn Woolsey Other 30%
Albert Wynn Other 40%
Sidney Yates Other 33%
HI Governor Neil Abercrombie D 30%
NJ U.S. House-1 Rob Andrews D 33%
WI Mayor-At-Large Tom Barrett D 40%
MT U.S. Senate-Sr Max Baucus D 70%
CA U.S. House-34 Xavier Becerra D 30%
NA Vice President Joe Biden, Jr. D 70%
GA U.S. House-2 Sanford Bishop, Jr. D 60%
OR U.S. House-3 Earl Blumenauer D 40%
CA U.S. Senate-Jr Barbara Boxer D 50%
FL U.S. House-5 Corrine Brown D 44%
OH U.S. Senate-Sr Sherrod Brown D 22%
MD U.S. Senate-Jr Ben Cardin D 40%
SC U.S. House-6 Jim Clyburn D 30%
MI U.S. House-13 John Conyers, Jr. D 30%
MD U.S. House-7 Elijah Cummings D 30%
IL U.S. House-7 Danny Davis D 10%
OR U.S. House-4 Peter DeFazio D 20%
CO U.S. House-1 Diana DeGette D 22%
CT U.S. House-3 Rosa DeLauro D 30%
MI U.S. House-12 John Dingell D 50%
TX U.S. House-35 Lloyd Doggett D 40%
PA U.S. House-14 Mike Doyle, Jr. D 70%
IL U.S. Senate-Sr Dick Durbin D 40%
NY U.S. House-16 Eliot Engel D 30%
CA U.S. House-18 Anna Eshoo D 40%
CA U.S. House-20 Sam Farr D 40%
PA U.S. House-2 Chaka Fattah, Sr. D 50%
CA U.S. Senate-Sr Dianne Feinstein D 50%
CA Mayor-At-Large Bob Filner D 30%
TX U.S. House-29 Gene Green D 60%
IL U.S. House-4 Luis Gutierrez D 13%
IA U.S. Senate-Jr Tom Harkin D 70%
FL U.S. House-20 Alcee Hastings, Sr. D 20%
TX U.S. House-15 Rubén Hinojosa, Sr. D 60%
MD U.S. House-5 Steny Hoyer D 40%
TX U.S. House-18 Sheila Jackson Lee D 44%
TX U.S. House-30 Eddie Johnson D 40%
SD U.S. Senate-Sr Timothy Johnson D 70%
OH U.S. House-9 Marcy Kaptur D 22%
NA U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry D 50%
WI U.S. House-3 Ron Kind D 50%
LA U.S. Senate-Sr Mary Landrieu D 70%
NJ U.S. Senate-Sr Frank Lautenberg D 60%
VT U.S. Senate-Sr Patrick Leahy D 60%
MI U.S. Senate-Sr Carl Levin D 50%
MI U.S. House-9 Sandy Levin D 50%
GA U.S. House-5 John Lewis D 20%
CA U.S. House-19 Zoe Lofgren D 40%
NY U.S. House-17 Nita Lowey D 40%
NY U.S. House-12 Carolyn Maloney D 50%
MA U.S. House-5 Ed Markey D 20%
NY U.S. House-4 Carolyn McCarthy D 50%
WA U.S. House-7 Jim McDermott D 20%
MA U.S. House-2 Jim McGovern D 30%
NC U.S. House-7 Mike McIntyre D 80%
NJ U.S. Senate-Jr Bob Menendez D 40%
MD U.S. Senate-Sr Barbara Mikulski D 44%
CA U.S. House-11 George Miller D 11%
VA U.S. House-8 Jim Moran, Jr. D 50%
WA U.S. Senate-Sr Patty Murray D 70%
NY U.S. House-10 Jerry Nadler D 20%
MA U.S. House-1 Richard Neal D 50%
NJ U.S. House-6 Frank Pallone, Jr. D 30%
NJ U.S. House-9 Bill Pascrell, Jr. D 40%
AZ U.S. House-7 Ed Pastor D 50%
CA U.S. House-12 Nancy Pelosi D 20%
NC U.S. House-4 David Price D 50%
WV U.S. House-3 Nick Rahall II D 20%
NY U.S. House-13 Charlie Rangel D 30%
RI U.S. Senate-Sr Jack Reed D 44%
NV U.S. Senate-Sr Harry Reid D 50%
WV U.S. Senate-Sr Jay Rockefeller IV D 67%
CA U.S. House-40 Lucille Roybal-Allard D 30%
IL U.S. House-1 Bobby Rush D 40%
CA U.S. House-46 Loretta Sanchez D 60%
OH State Senate-28 Thomas Sawyer D 50%
NY U.S. Senate-Sr Chuck Schumer D 40%
VA U.S. House-3 Bobby Scott D 40%
NY U.S. House-15 José Serrano D 30%
CA U.S. House-30 Brad Sherman D 50%
NY U.S. House-25 Louise Slaughter D 30%
WA U.S. House-9 Adam Smith D 50%
MI U.S. Senate-Jr Debbie Stabenow D 50%
MS U.S. House-2 Bennie Thompson D 40%
MA U.S. House-6 John Tierney D 20%
NY U.S. House-7 Nydia Velázquez D 20%
IN U.S. House-1 Pete Visclosky D 50%
CA U.S. House-43 Maxine Waters D 20%
NC U.S. House-12 Mel Watt D 30%
CA U.S. House-33 Henry Waxman D 20%
OR U.S. Senate-Sr Ron Wyden D 70%
MN U.S. House-7 Collin Peterson DFL 70%
VT U.S. Senate-Jr Bernie Sanders I 20%
AL U.S. House-4 Robert Aderholt R 80%
AL U.S. House-6 Spencer Bachus R 90%
TX U.S. House-6 Joe Barton R 78%
MO U.S. Senate-Jr Roy Blunt R 90%
OH U.S. House-8 John Boehner R 100%
TX U.S. House-8 Kevin Brady R 100%
KS Governor Sam Brownback R 100%
NC U.S. Senate-Sr Richard Burr R 90%
CA U.S. House-42 Ken Calvert R 100%
MI U.S. House-4 Dave Camp R 100%
OH U.S. House-1 Steve Chabot R 100%
GA U.S. Senate-Sr Saxby Chambliss R 88%
IN U.S. Senate-Sr Daniel Coats R 50%
NC U.S. House-6 Howard Coble R 90%
OK U.S. Senate-Jr Thomas Coburn R 78%
MS U.S. Senate-Sr Thad Cochran R 90%
ME U.S. Senate-Sr Susan Collins R 80%
ID U.S. Senate-Sr Mike Crapo R 70%
GA Governor Nathan Deal R 90%
OH Attorney General Michael DeWine R 80%
TN U.S. House-2 John Duncan, Jr. R 80%
WY U.S. Senate-Sr Mike Enzi R 70%
NJ U.S. House-11 Rodney Frelinghuysen R 90%
VA U.S. House-6 Bob Goodlatte R 100%
SC U.S. Senate-Sr Lindsey Graham R 90%
TX U.S. House-12 Kay Granger R 100%
IA U.S. Senate-Sr Chuck Grassley R 100%
NA U.S. Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel R 100%
TX U.S. House-4 Ralph Hall R 80%
WA U.S. House-4 Doc Hastings R 100%
UT U.S. Senate-Sr Orrin Hatch R 100%
OK U.S. Senate-Sr Jim Inhofe R 50%
TX U.S. House-3 Sam Johnson R 100%
NC U.S. House-3 Walter Jones, Jr. R 80%
OH Governor John Kasich R 80%
NY U.S. House-2 Pete King R 40%
GA U.S. House-1 Jack Kingston R 80%
IA U.S. House-3 Tom Latham R 100%
NJ U.S. House-2 Frank LoBiondo R 67%
OK U.S. House-3 Frank Lucas R 90%
AZ U.S. Senate-Sr John McCain III R 100%
KY U.S. Senate-Sr Mitch McConnell R 100%
CA U.S. House-25 Buck McKeon R 90%
FL U.S. House-7 John Mica R 100%
KS U.S. Senate-Jr Jerry Moran R 90%
WI U.S. House-6 Tom Petri R 80%
PA U.S. House-16 Joe Pitts R 100%
OH U.S. Senate-Jr Rob Portman R 90%
KS U.S. Senate-Sr Pat Roberts R 90%
KY U.S. House-5 Hal Rogers R 90%
CA U.S. House-48 Dana Rohrabacher R 80%
FL U.S. House-27 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R 90%
CA U.S. House-39 Ed Royce R 80%
AZ U.S. House-5 Matthew Salmon R 70%
SC U.S. House-1 Mark Sanford, Jr. R 60%
CO State Board of Education-4 Robert Schaffer R 90%
WI U.S. House-5 Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. R 80%
AL U.S. Senate-Jr Jeff Sessions III R 70%
TX U.S. House-32 Pete Sessions R 90%
AL U.S. Senate-Sr Richard Shelby R 90%
IL U.S. House-15 John Shimkus R 80%
NJ U.S. House-4 Chris Smith R 50%
TX U.S. House-21 Lamar Smith R 100%
TX U.S. House-13 Mac Thornberry R 100%
SD U.S. Senate-Jr John Thune R 90%
MI U.S. House-6 Fred Upton R 90%
KY U.S. House-1 Ed Whitfield R 100%
MS U.S. Senate-Jr Roger Wicker R 100%
VA U.S. House-10 Frank Wolf R 90%
FL U.S. House-13 Bill Young R 100%
AK U.S. House-At-Large Don Young R 80%

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.