Donald J. Devine

Democratic Majority Turns House Dramatically More Liberal: Senate Maintains Left Status Quo
By Dr. Donald J. Devine
ACU Vice Chairman

It is good to be in control; and Democrats have taken remarkable advantage of the opportunity they won in the 2006 election. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been especially effective in turning the House left, dramatically increasing Democratic cohesion and liberal voting. Majority Leader Harry Reid, being constrained by the more open rules of the upper body, has nonetheless also been effective in continuing the leftward movement in Senate voting recorded last year.

The House roll call vote figures are extraordinary. In 2007, 212 Members earned an ACU conservatism score of 20 or less—our definition of a liberal—compared to a mere 144 liberal Congressmen just last year and 155 in 2005.  Those earning a perfect liberal score of zero increased from six Members in 2006 to a record 138 this year. While every Congressman who scored liberal last year was a Democrat, they were even joined for the first time recently by two Republicans, Mike Castle (DE) and Chris Shays (CT). Upon learning that Republicans had lost the majority, Castle said moderates felt “liberated” and their voting proves it. Scores of moderate Republicans moved substantially to the left in their voting, freed from the need to sustain GOP leadership priorities.

Republicans went from 172 members last year with an ACU rating of 80% or higher – our definition of a conservative—down to 152 in 2007. Yet, since the Democratic leadership did not allow many real conservative amendments, the average score of this smaller group actually went up, with 62 Republicans earning a perfect conservatism rating of 100%. The highest scoring Democrat was Gene Taylor (MS), at 72% conservative. In 2005, 186 members had been rated as conservative. 

In sum, 48.7% of House Members voted liberal and 34.9% voted conservative, compared to 39.5% conservative and 33.1% liberal the year earlier, a remarkable shift leftward.

Voting patterns in the Senate were more stable but did move enough to make a difference. In 2007, 48 Senators scored a liberal rating of 20% or less – all Democrats (except Joe Lieberman (CT), a nominal independent), compared to 40 last year, a considerable shift for the narrowly divided upper house.  A substantial 21 Democratic Senators earned a perfect liberal zero rating, including Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama scored a 7% conservative rating, compared to a marginal 80% for John McCain—but all of the presidential candidates missed many controversial votes. Only 33 Senators scored 80% conservative or better, all Republicans, essentially the same as the 34 last year but down sharply from the 46 who earned the designation conservative in 2005. 

Five GOP Senators received a perfect 100% conservative rating in 2007, the same number as 2006, while there were 12 in 2005, 8 in 2004, and none in 2003.  Perfect conservative scores were earned by Tom Coburn (OK), Jim DeMint (SC), James Inhofe (OK), John Kyl (AZ) and newcomer John Barrasso (WY). The highest scoring Democrats were Mary Landrieu (LA) at 40% and Ben Nelson (NE) at 32%. Sixteen Republicans scored as moderates, with Olympia Snowe (ME) the lowest at a meager 28% conservative rating.