It's the last Part of the latest lifetime vote ratings from the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) and the American Conservative Union (ACU). Today, I wrap-up with House conservatives.
Raw data:
ADA
ACU
In case you missed the first four Parts of the ratings, here's my explanation for using the ADA & ACU:
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Why the ADA & ACU? They have among the longest history of doing such vote ratings, the ADA having released ratings back to 1948, the ACU since 1971. This allows for historical comparison with Representatives & Senators of the past 50 years using fairly similar criteria. Plus, the groups aren't particularly focused on one issue or another. Rather, one advocates liberal causes, the other, conservative causes. By averaging the two, I think you reach something close to a good idea where a member of Congress stands. And yes, I have pondered adding other ratings, such as the National Journal's and Congressional Quarterly's rankings. I leave them out because (1) there's not as much history, (2) especially in the National Journal's case, I'm not hot on their methodology (evenly spacing out all members instead of showing exactly how liberal or conservative a member is) and (3) it takes long enough averaging the numbers of 535 Representatives & Senators from 2 organizations, much less adding a 3rd or 4th.
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These are the ratings through the last session of the House, in 2006. Therefore, I've included Representatives who retired or were voted out of office. Retired/resigned/deceased Representatives and those who ran for another office are marked with a *, Representatives who lost re-election marked with a **.
The lifetime ratings for the four Republican Representatives who have switched parties are for only their time as Republicans, as I consider it a more accurate view of where their ideology is at now. In parenthese after their rating, I've included their overall lifetime ratings including their time as Democrats.
Also, for those who missed the last four Parts, here are the links:
Part I: '08 Presidential Contenders
Part II: The Senate
Part III: House Liberals
Part IV: House Moderates
Here you go, the conservatives:
Michael Ferguson (R-NJ) 19.8
Ray LaHood (R-IL) 19.2
Todd Platts (R-PA) 19
Peter King (R-NY) 18.4
Heather Wilson (R-NM) 18
Walter Jones (R-NC) 18
Don Young (R-AK) 17.6
Deborah Pryce (R-OH) 16.7
Frank Wolf (R-VA) 15.2
*Bill Thomas (R-CA) 14.9
Greg Walden (R-OR) 14.1
John Duncan (R-TN) 14
Paul Gillmor (R-OH) 13.8
David Hobson (R-OH) 13.6
Connie Mack, IV (R-FL) 13.5
**Clay Shaw (R-FL) 13.4
*Bob Ney (R-OH) 13.4
Rodney Alexander (R-LA) 13.2 (29.1)
**John Hostettler (R-IN) 13
Thad McCotter (R-MI) 13
Jon Porter (R-NV) 12.9
*Jim Nussle (R-IA) 12.9
Tim Murphy (R-PA) 12.7
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) 12.7
*Tom Osborne (R-NE) 12.6
Robert Inglis (R-SC) 12.5
*Henry Hyde (R-IL) 12.3
Rick Renzi (R-AZ) 12.3
Harold Rogers (R-KY) 12.1
Candice Miller (R-MI) 11.9
Jerry Lewis (R-CA) 11.9
Vito Fossella (R-NY) 11.7
*Michael Bilrakis (R-FL) 11.5
Randy Kuhl (R-NY) 11.3
Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) 11.2
Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) 10.8
Bill Young (R-FL) 10.6
Jerry Weller (R-IL) 10.6
Michael Rogers (R-AL) 10.4
John Shimkus (R-IL) 10.4
Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) 10.2
Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) 10.2
*Mark Green (R-WI) 10.1
**Don Sherwood (R-PA) 10.1
Michael Turner (R-OH) 10
Thelma Drake (R-VA) 10
*James Gibbons (R-NV) 10
Charles Boustany (R-LA) 9.8
Dave Camp (R-MI) 9.7
Howard Coble (R-NC) 9.4
Tom Latham (R-IA) 9.3
Ralph Hall (R-TX) 9.2 (15.7)
Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) 9.1
Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) 9
Jerry Moran (R-KS) 8.9
Elton Gallegly (R-CA) 8.9
Kay Granger (R-TX) 8.7
**Anne Northup (R-KY) 8.6
Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) 8.5
Ted Poe (R-TX) 8.5
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)8.5
**Richard Pombo (R-CA) 8.5
Zach Wamp (R-TN) 8.5
Tom Reynolds (R-NY) 8.3
Michael Simpson (R-ID) 8.3
Geoff Davis (R-KY) 8.3
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) 8.1
Robert Aderholt (R-AL) 8
Virgil Goode (R-VA)8 (11.4)
Mark Souder (R-IN) 7.9
*Butch Otter (R-ID) 7.8
*Michael Oxley (R-OH) 7.8
*Mark Kennedy (R-MN) 7.7
*Katherine Harris (R-FL) 7.6
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) 7.5
Ed Whitfield (R-KY) 7.5
Michael Rogers (R-MI) 7.5
Jim McCrery (R-LA) 7.5
Darrell Issa (R-CA) 7.4
Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) 7.3
**Melissa Hart (R-PA) 7.2
Paul Ryan (R-WI) 7.2
Robin Hayes (R-NC) 7.1
John Shadegg (R-AZ) 7
**Charles Taylor (R-NC) 6.9
Duncan Hunter (R-CA) 6.8
Dennis Rehberg (R-MT) 6.8
Devin Nunes (R-CA) 6.7
**Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) 6.7
Michael McCaul (R-TX) 6.5
Cliff Stearns (R-FL) 6.4
Howard McKeon (R-CA) 6.3
**Mike Sodrel (R-IN) 6.3
Dan Lungren (R-CA) 6.2
Lee Terry (R-NE) 6.2
David Dreier (R-CA) 6.2
John Peterson (R-PA) 6.2
Steve Buyer (R-IN) 6.2
Nathan Deal (R-GA) 6.2 (8.5)
Jean Schmidt (R-OH) 6.1
*Bill Jenkins (R-TN) 6.1
Patrick Tiberi (R-OH) 6
Michael Burgess (R-TX) 6
*Joel Hefley (R-CO) 6
Tom Price (R-GA) 5.9
Tom Tancredo (R-CO) 5.8
Rob Bishop (R-UT) 5.8
**Henry Bonilla (R-TX) 5.8
Patrick McHenry (R-NC) 5.8
John Boozman (R-AR) 5.7
Sam Graves (R-MO) 5.7
Lamar Smith (R-TX) 5.7
Ken Calvert (R-CA) 5.6
Scott Garrett (R-NJ) 5.6
Spencer Bachus (R-AL) 5.6
Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) 5.6
Joe Barton (R-TX) 5.6
Bill Shuster (R-PA) 5.4
Joe Wilson (R-SC) 5.3
Steve King (R-IA) 5.3
Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) 5.2
John Mica (R-FL) 5.1
Ron Lewis (R-KY) 5.1
Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) 5.1
Adam Putnam (R-FL) 5.1
Jeff Miller (R-FL) 5
Phil Gingrey (R-GA) 4.9
Roger Wicker (R-MS) 4.9
John Doolittle (R-CA) 4.8
Steve Chabot (R-OH) 4.8
Roy Blunt (R-MO) 4.8
Richard Baker (R-LA) 4.8
John Kline (R-MN) 4.7
Randy Forbes (R-VA) 4.7
Tom Cole (R-OK) 4.6
John Carter (R-TX) 4.6
*Ernest Istook (R-OK) 4.6
Dan Burton (R-IN) 4.6
Donald Manzullo (R-IL) 4.5
Dave Weldon (R-FL) 4.5
Chip Pickering (R-MS) 4.5
Bobby Jindal (R-LA) 4.5
Henry Brown (R-SC) 4.5
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) 4.4
**Chris Chocola (R-IN) 4.4
Ed Royce (R-CA) 4.4
John Culberson (R-TX) 4.3
Dennis Hastert (R-IL) 4.3
Steve Pearce (R-NM) 4.3
*Bob Beauprez (R-CO) 4.2
John Boehner (R-OH) 4.2
Kevin Brady (R-TX) 4.2
Terry Everett (R-AL) 4.1
Trent Franks (R-AZ) 4.1
*Charles Norwood (R-GA) 4.1
*Tom DeLay (R-TX) 4
Mike Conaway (R-TX) 4
Kenny Marchant (R-TX) 4
Sue Myrick (R-NC) 4
Mac Thornberry (R-TX) 4
George Radanovich (R-CA) 4
Jo Bonner (R-AL) 3.8
Jack Kingston (R-GA) 3.7
Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) 3.7
Frank Lucas (R-OK) 3.9
Chris Cannon (R-UT) 3.5
Doc Hastings (R-WA) 3.5
Virginia Foxx (R-NC) 3.5
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) 3.5
Tom Feeney (R-FL) 3.5
Gresham Barrett (R-SC) 3.5
Wally Herger (R-CA) 3.3
John Linder (R-GA) 3.3
Ric Keller (R-FL) 3.3
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) 3.3
**J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) 3.1
John Sullivan (R-OK) 3
John Campbell (R-CA) 3
Joseph Pitts (R-PA) 3
Barbara Cubin (R-WY) 3
Gary Miller (R-CA) 2.9
Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) 2.9
Eric Cantor (R-VA) 2.7
Mike Pence (R-IN) 2.5
**Jim Ryun (R-KS) 2.4
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) 2.4
Todd Akin (R-MO) 2.3
Sam Johnson (R-TX) 2.1
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) 2.1
Pete Sessions (R-TX) 1.6
As always, just another perspective on the ideological balance of Congress. Any questions, I'll try to answer them.