McCaskill Ranked Among the Most Independent Senators

Press Release

A new analysis by the Washington Post ranks U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill among the most independent Senators in likelihood to vote against her own party.

According to the analysis: "… we looked at every vote taken in the House and Senate so far in the 114th Congress. We figured out the majority position for each party (in cases where it was not unanimous) and compared every member of each body's vote against the party majority." - Washington Post: Here are the members of Congress who vote against their party the most

McCaskill--the only member of Missouri's Congressional delegation to make the list--was ranked the fourth most likely Democrat to break ranks and vote against her own party, and was found to be even more likely to vote against her party on closer votes, in which the outcome was less certain.

"I haven't always made leaders in my party very happy, and I've stepped on a lot of toes since I came to the Senate, but that's okay," said McCaskill, who in 2014 was one of the few Democrats to vote against then-majority leader Harry Reid when he ran to retain the party's top leadership post in the Senate. "Because I wasn't elected to make friends. I was elected to get results for Missouri families--to expand job opportunities, cut wasteful spending, and help clean up Washington so folks have a little more confidence in their federal government."

Through her time in the Senate, McCaskill has been criticized by some in her party over her strong support for the Keystone XL Pipeline, her bipartisan work to cap federal spending and abolish unnecessary federal agencies, and her longstanding and successful battle against Congressional earmarks.

Since joining the Senate, the nonpartisan National Journal has consistently ranked McCaskill in the ten most moderate U.S. Senators--and ranked her as #50 out of 100 in two of its most recent rankings.

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