Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is a comparative conservative in the U.S. Senate, controlled by Democrats. At the same time, socialist Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) of New York is hardly the most far-left member in the House.
The Institute for Legislative Analysis (ILA), based in Washington, D.C., made these, along with other discoveries, after reviewing 133 House tallies and 58 Senate votes in 2023.
They then rated legislators from zero (the most liberal) to 100 (the most conservative).
Figures from the ILA confirm Capitol Hill Democrats are almost consistently left-wing radicals while the GOP members are more moderate than even Republican voters imagine.
To start, 26 Democrats in the Senate — a majority — scored lower than Sanders’ 7.14% rating, the one-person gold standard for socialism in America.
Such allegedly “middle of the road” legislators as Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey (5.45), Virginia’s Mark Warner (5.56), and Maryland’s Ben Cardin (3.57) are all further left than Sanders.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has the same score — at 7.14 — as Bernie Sanders!
So does a self-proclaimed “centrist” and former astronaut Mark Kelly of Arizona.
Senator Schumer is only seven points from the left’s 0% “wall.”
In the meantime, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky’s 66.04 score puts him 33 points from the far-right’s high point and much closer to the center.
While 26 senators lie on the left of Schumer, 40 are on the right of McConnell.
Numerous conservatives slam Senator McConnell justifiably and endlessly for sacrificing the principles of the right one-third of the time and even more when it matters.
McConnell went along with Schumer on the omnibus spending bills, April’s betrayal of border security, and a hike in the debt limit. But since McConnell votes along with the left 33.96% of the time, Dems should discontinue calling him an extremist.
The ideological anchors in the Senate are its most conservative Democrat, Joe Manchin of Virginia (35.19); Connecticut’s far-left Chris Murphy (1.79); the most stalwart conservative, Utah’s Mike Lee (100% pro-individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited government); and the most liberal Republican, Susan Collins of Maine (an extremely centrist 50).
Across the Capitol in the House, Democrat Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas earned 1.61 as the farthest-left in the House.
The entire work was watching when she engaged in a childish, verbal melee with GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and AOC.
The most conservative Democrat in the House is Maine’s Jared Golden (33.33), with its most liberal Republican remaining is Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick (36.51).
Texas’ Chip Roy, Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry, and Virginia’s Robert Good — all Republicans — share 100% ratings and the Top Conservative in the House award.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana’s 87.06 places him closer to the center than New York Democratic Leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries of 7.14.
Sadly, Johnson’s McConnell-type white flags will likely lower his numbers even more on next year’s ILA scorecard.
In the meantime, 33 Democrats in the House are left of “Squad” leader and AOC, a proud socialist. Almost three dozen of her colleagues must wish she would stop voting so frequently with the GOP.
In both chambers of the House, Democrats march left together while Republicans are more diverse. Democrats in the Senate range from 1.79 to 35.19.
Republicans span from 50 to 100. Democrats in the House range from 1.67 to 33.33. Republicans are more broadly, spanning 36.51 to 100.
What is most fascinating is how the parties address two critical issue areas.
On cultural questions like race, abortion, and gender, House and Senate Republicans score jointly 97.57 versus 0.87 for Democrats.
On fiscal tax-and-spend fiscal matters, congressional Republicans earn 50.66. Democrats — 1.04.
“On cultural issues, Republicans have become very hardcore while trending much more moderate on fiscal affairs,” says Fred McGrath, ILA Presiden. “Democrats, conversely, are extreme on cultural, fiscal, and every other issue.”
“Nearly 95% of Democrats score below 15%,” adds McGrath. “By contrast, fewer than 33% of Republicans score above 85%.”
Next time President Joe Biden and his Democrat comrades rage about “extreme mega-MAGA Republicans,” they should study ILA’s unquestionable statistics and look in the mirror at the genuine extremists on Capitol Hill.
