Club for Growth Releases 2014 Congressional Scorecard

Doug Sachtleben  |   March 9, 2015

Club for Growth Releases 2014 Congressional Scorecard

Club for Growth President David McIntosh: “2014’s Congressional Scorecard has few surprises. In general, those who believe in economic freedom will be recognized for their consistency and those who do not, will not.”

Washington, DC – Today, the Club for Growth released its 2014 Congressional Scorecard, which ranks the voting behavior of Members of Congress based on issues related to limited government and economic growth.

To view the Club for Growth’s 2014 Congressional Scorecard and all prior Scorecards, click here, or go to: www.ClubForGrowth.org/Scorecards/

“2014’s Congressional Scorecard has few surprises. In general, those who believe in economic freedom will be recognized for their consistency and those who do not, will not,” said Club for Growth President David McIntosh. “In the Senate, Harry Reid’s decision to shut down the Senate meant an unusually small pool of votes related to economic issues. While some Senators’ scores may seem out of character for 2014, those who have a long-standing commitment to free markets and pro-growth policies still have lifetime scores over 90. Club members always look at someone’s entire record when evaluating their commitment to tax cuts, entitlement reform and limited government principles.”

This year, 34 Members of Congress will receive the Club for Growth’s Defender of Economic Freedom Award. Starting in 2011, The Club for Growth required Representatives and Senators to not only score 90 or better on votes cast in a year, but to also have a lifetime score or “LifeScore” of at least 90.

NOTE: The number of votes used in the Senate rating (17) for 2014 is much lower than the historical average (26). This is because there were fewer votes taken in the Senate on economic issues to consider for inclusion in the scorecard. We attribute this to two things: First, from an objective standpoint, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively “shut down” the Senate, preventing bills and amendments from being considered on the floor, which led to a smaller number of roll call votes to choose from. Second, because Senator Reid invoked the so-called “nuclear option,” votes on judicial and executive nominations represented the lion’s share of all votes cast in the upper chamber in 2014 (254/366 or nearly 70%). The Club for Growth intends to inform its members that a Senator’s 2014 rating could vary considerably from his or her lifetime average as a result of this anomaly.

 

Highlights from the Club for Growth’s 2014 Congressional Scorecard:

•       Only one United States Senator received a perfect score in 2014: Now-retired Senator Tom Coburn (OK), who also qualified for the Defender of Economic Freedom Award.

•       Senators Jeff Flake (AZ), Marco Rubio (FL), Rand Paul (KY), Jim Inhofe (OK), Tim Scott (SC), Ted Cruz (TX), Mike Lee (UT), and Ron Johnson (WI) had 2014 scores and LifeScores high enough to qualify for the Defender of Economic Freedom Award.

•       Twenty-five current and past House members who received scores of 90 percent or better in 2014 also had LifeScores of 90 or better to qualify for the Defender of Economic Freedom Award.

•       Eight members of the House received 100 percent ratings in 2014. Of those, one also has a 100 percent LifeScore: Congressman Justin Amash (MI-03). Six others also received a 100 percent score in 2014 and have a LifeScore over 90: Congressmen Tom McClintock (CA-04), Tim Huelskamp (KS-01), Mike Pompeo (KS-04), Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Jim Jordan (OH-04), and Jeff Duncan (SC-03). One, James Lankford (OK-05), had a 2014 score of 100 percent but has a LifeScore below 90.

•       Seventeen Senate Democrats scored zero in 2014 and the scores of every Senate Democrat were at or below 24%.

•       The highest rated Democrat was Senator Tom Carper (DE) with a 24%. The lowest rated Republican was Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK) with a  27%.

•       Republican Leadership scores in 2014 were: Boehner (OH-08): N/A, McCarthy (CA-23): 43%, Scalise (LA-01): 82%; McMorris Rodgers (WA-05): 62%.

•       Democratic leadership scores in 2014 were: Pelosi (CA-12): 4%, Hoyer (MD-05): 2%, Clyburn (SC-06): 2%, Becerra (CA-34): 13%.

•       The highest scoring House Democrat, with a 50%, was Jim Matheson (UT-04), who scored higher than 56 Republicans. The three lowest Republican scores were Jon Runyan (NJ-03) 19%, Peter King (NY-02) 22%, and Chris Smith (NJ-04), 26%.