Vermont’s Bernie Sanders is a relative conservative in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate. And self-styled socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is hardly the hardest-Left House member.
The Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Legislative Analysis made these and other discoveries after reviewing 58 Senate votes and 133 House tallies in 2023. It then rated lawmakers from zero (most liberal) to 100 (most conservative). ILA figures confirm that Capitol Hill Democrats are almost uniformly left-wing radicals while Republicans are more moderate than even GOP voters imagine.
For starters, 26 Senate Democrats—a majority—scored lower than the 7.14% rating for Sanders, the one-man gold standard for American socialism. Such reputedly “middle of the road” lawmakers as Virginia’s Mark Warner (5.56%), Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey (5.45%), and Maryland’s Ben Cardin (3.57%) are all Left of Sanders.
At 7.14%, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has the same score as … Bernie Sanders! So does alleged “centrist” Democrat and former astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Schumer is just seven points from the Left’s 0% “wall.”
Meanwhile, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky’s 66.04% score puts him fully 33 points from the Right’s end zone and that much nearer the center. Indeed, while 26 senators are Left of Schumer, 40 are Right of McConnell.
Many conservatives, not least moi, slam McConnell mercilessly and justifiably for sacrificing the Right’s principles an exquisite one-third of the time and more so when it really matters. McConnell ate out of Schumer’s hand on omnibus spending bills, a hike in the debt limit, and April’s betrayal on border security. Still, if McConnell votes Left 33.96% of the time, Democrats should stop calling him an extremist.
The Senate’s ideological anchors are Connecticut’s hard-Left Chris Murphy (1.79%); its most conservative Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia (35.19%); the most-liberal Republican, Susan Collins of Maine (a severely centrist 50.00%); and the most-stalwart conservative, Mike Lee of Utah (100.00% pro-individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise).
Across the Capitol, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, earned a 1.61% rating and the House’s farthest-Left trophy. The whole world was watching on May 16, when she participated in a juvenile, verbal melee with AOC and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. The House’s most conservative Democrat is Maine’s Jared Golden (33.33%), and its most liberal Republican is Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick (36.51%). Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry, Texas’ Chip Roy, and Virginia’s Robert Good—Republicans all—share 100% ratings and the House’s Top Conservative award.
An 87.06% rating puts House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., closer to the center than Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York’s 7.14%. Shamefully, Johnson’s McConnell-style white flags likely will lower his numbers even further in next year’s ILA scorecard.
Meanwhile, 33 House Democrats are Left of “Squad” leader and proud socialist AOC. Nearly three dozen of her colleagues must wish that she would stop voting so often with Republicans.
In both chambers, Democrats march with North Korean conformity while Republicans are more diverse. Senate Democrats range from 1.79% to 35.19%. Republicans stretch more widely from 50.00% to 100%. House Democrats run from 1.67% to 33.33%. Republicans even more broadly span 36.51% to 100%.
Most fascinating is how the parties address two key issue areas. On cultural questions like abortion, gender, and race, Senate and House Republicans jointly score 97.57% versus 0.87% for Democrats. On 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 ILA President Fred McGrath. “Democrats, conversely, are extreme on cultural, fiscal, and every other issue.”
“Nearly 95% of Democrats score below 15%,” McGrath adds. “By contrast, fewer than 33% of Republicans score above 85%.”
Next time President Joe Biden and his Democrat comrades foam at their mouths about “extreme, mega-MAGA Republicans,” they should study ILA’s irrefutable statistics and buy mirrors, so they can stare at Capitol Hill’s genuine extremists.
The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.
