Club for Growth Releases Annual Congressional Scorecard

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Washington, DC – Today, the Club for Growth released its 2015 Congressional Scorecard, which ranks the voting behavior of Members of Congress based on issues relating to limited government and economic growth.

To view the Club for Growth’s 2015 Congressional Scorecard and all prior scorecards, click here.

“Despite slight progress in 2015, Congress has a lot of room for improvement on pro-growth policies,” said Club for Growth President David McIntosh. “The number of Members receiving the Club’s Defender of Economic Freedom award is up, but still represents only a small percentage of the Republican majorities in Congress. Economic freedom should be a leading theme in the policies coming out of Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, too many Republicans are still committed to big government and big spending, which makes it all the more important that we recognize those lawmakers who are fighting daily to shrink government and the federal bureaucracy that is choking our free markets and the economy.”

This year, 37 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 maintain a lifetime rating of at least 90.

The Club for Growth 2015 Congressional Scorecard is based on 29 votes taken in the House of Representatives and 25 votes taken in the Senate.

Highlights from the Club for Growth’s 2015 Congressional Scorecard

Only one United States Senator received a perfect score in 2015: Senator Mike Lee (UT).

Senators Ben Sasse (NE), Marco Rubio (FL), Ted Cruz (TX), Jeff Flake (AZ), Tom Cotton (AR), and Jim Risch (ID) had 2015 scores and lifetime scores high enough to qualify for the Defender of Economic Freedom award.

Thirty House members (up from 25 last year) who received scores of 90 or better in 2015 also had lifetime scores of 90 or better to qualify for the Defender of Economic Freedom award.

Three House members received 100% ratings in 2015. Of those, two had a lifetime rating of 100: Congressmen John Ratcliffe (TX-04) and Tim Huelskamp (KS-01). Rep. Scott DesJarlais (TN-04) also had a 100% rating in 2015.

Six Senate Democrats scored zero in 2015, and the highest score of any Senate Democrat, by Senator Joe Manchin (WV), was a mere 23.

The lowest scoring Republican was Senator Susan Collins (MN) with a 25.

Republican leadership scores in 2015 were:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) – 62

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn – 63

House Speaker Paul Ryan (WI-01) – 73

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) – 68

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (LA-01) – 65

House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) – 58

The Club for Growth is the nation’s leading group promoting economic freedom through legislative involvement, issue advocacy, research, and education.

The Club’s website can be found at https://www.clubforgrowth.org/