#ACURatings Conservative.org

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1 #ACURatings Conservative.org AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW i

2 Table of Contents About ACUF... 1 Ratings Background & Methodology... 2 Legislatures in Rank Order... 3 Metrics... 4 Highlights...5 Rankings Nationwide Results Republican Delegations Democratic Delegations Partisan Divide Upper Chambers...35 Lower Chambers...36 States with Most Superlatives Support ACUF...4 American Conservative Union Foundation

3 Board of Directors ACUF Executive Committee Matt Schlapp Chairman Millie Hallow Vice Chair Van D. Hipp, Jr. Treasurer Kimberly Bellissimo Secretary Dan Schneider Executive Director Board Members José Cárdenas Gordon Chang Jonathan Garthwaite Charlie Gerow Niger Innis Adam Laxalt Willes K. Lee Mary Matalin Carolyn D. Meadows Thomas Winter ACU Executive Committee Matt Schlapp Chairman Charlie Gerow Vice Chairman Carolyn D. Meadows 2 nd Vice Chair Bob Beauprez Treasurer Board Members Jackie Arends Larry Beasley Kimberly Bellissimo Steve Biegun Morton C. Blackwell Jamie Burke José Cárdenas Muriel Coleman Sean Fieler Alan M. Gottlieb Van D. Hipp, Jr. Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser Ron Christie Secretary Ed Yevoli At-Large Dan Schneider Executive Director Ed McFadden Priscilla O Shaughnessy Ron Robinson Mike Rose Peter Samuelson Sabrina Schaeffer Terry Schilling Matt Smith Chris Turner Bill Walton Thomas Winter The ACUF Legislative Ratings Team Francis Finnegan Larry Hart Fred McGrath Tyler Muench Luke Schneider 21 N Union Street Suite 37 Alexandria, VA (22) #ACURatings Conservative.org

4 About ACUF The American Conservative Union was founded in 1964 by William F. Buckley, Jr. and other conservative luminaries as an umbrella organization to harness the collective strength of the conservative revolution. ACU excels in combining ideas with action, developing policy positions based on conservative political philosophy and educating and training thousands of grassroots activists. Dating back to 1974, ACU hosts the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the world s largest gathering of conservatives. CPAC serves as a platform for the nation s elected officials, thought leaders and grassroots activists and organize around the seminal issues facing our country. The ACU Foundation (ACUF) is the 51(c)(3), educational arm of ACU. Since 1971, ACUF has produced the nation s longest-running conservative congressional scorecard. In the states, ACUF is the only organization that evaluates every single bill and produces individual scores for every single lawmaker in each of the 99 legislative chambers in all 5 states. Furthermore, ACUF and its Senior Fellows provide conservative solutions to some of our nation s most pressing issues through their work with the Foundation s five Policy Centers: Criminal Justice Reform; 21st Century Property Rights; Human Dignity; Statesmanship and Diplomacy; and Arts & Culture. AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 1

5 #ACURatings Conservative.org Letter from the Chairman... 2 ACU & ACUF Board Members... 3 Selecting the Votes Winners & Losers... 4 OH Senate Statistics... 5 OH Senate Vote Descriptions... 6 OH Senate Scores... 7 OH House Statistics... 9 OH House Vote Descriptions... 1 OH House Scores Ratings Background ACUF s state legislative ratings were first established in 211 as a pilot program rating five states. It has since grown to evaluate all 5 states, 99 legislative chambers and over 7,4 elected officials. For each state, ACUF produces an individualized scorecard containing key bills voted on during that state s legislative session for each lawmaker. Year in Review is a compilation of all the data contained in each of these 5 individual state scorecards. Methodology Like ACUF s Ratings of Congress, the Foundation s state legislative ratings illustrate how an elected official views the role of government in an individual s life. When determining a stance on a particular issue, ACUF begins by defining conservatism: the political philosophy that sovereignty resides in the person. Then, we apply the Founders belief that the proper role of government is to protect life, liberty and property. 217 RATINGS of OHIO TABLE OF CONTENTS In order to depict how closely a lawmaker adheres to conservative principles, ACUF selects from the full spectrum of issues relating to the economy, social issues and government integrity. Some key areas include taxation, spending, education, labor, licensure, regulation, environment, life, free speech, and Second Amendment rights. All individual state analyses are conducted after the adjournment of a legislative session to ensure that no issue is neglected. Each lawmaker is evaluated on a zero to 1 scale, with a score of 1 representing a voting record that is perfectly aligned with conservative principles. Officials who earn a score of 9 percent or higher are presented with ACUF s highest honor, the Award for Conservative Excellence, while those who earn a score of 8 percent or greater, but less than 9 percent, are presented with the Award for Conservative Achievement. Additionally, any lawmaker who earns a score of 1 percent or less is recognized as part of ACUF s Coalition of the Radical Left. 2 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

6 Legislatures in Rank Order RANK STATE RANK STATE 1 Tennessee same 26 Nebraska 8 2 Ohio 9 3 Wyoming 4 4 Kentucky 9 5 Florida 1 6 Texas 3 7 West Virginia 9 8 Utah 7 9 Missouri 4 1 South Dakota North Carolina Alaska Alabama 1 14 Wisconsin 7 15 Louisiana Idaho 6 17 Pennsylvania 2 18 Iowa Michigan 3 2 Montana 3 21 Arkansas Indiana 2 23 Georgia 9 24 Virginia 4 25 Arizona Oklahoma 7 28 North Dakota 2 29 Minnesota 2 3 Mississippi Nevada 6 32 Colorado 4 33 New Hampshire 6 34 Delaware 6 35 Connecticut 6 36 Kansas 3 37 Illinois 1 38 Washington 3 39 New York same 4 Oregon 4 41 Maine 8 42 New Mexico California 1 44 Vermont 5 45 South Carolina same 46 New Jersey 3 47 Rhode Island same 48 Maryland 2 49 Hawaii 1 5 Massachusetts same *Arrows indicate change in rank from the previous year. Same indicates no change in ranking. AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 3

7 Metrics 14,372 bills evaluated 1,893 bills scored 7,434 legislators rated To determine this year s rankings, ACUF evaluated over 14, bills that were introduced in the 217 legislative session running from January 1 to December 31. Of those bills, ACUF ultimately selected 1,893 pieces of legislation across all 5 states that best illustrated how an elected official views the role of government in an individual s life. The Foundation calculated individual scores for a total of 7,433 state lawmakers based on over 144, votes cast on the 1,893 bills selected. ACUF provided a score for each legislative chamber of the states, which is based upon the average individual scores of all members within that respective chamber. A state s overall score is calculated by averaging each state s two legislative chambers together in order to better reflect the differences in political power between the chambers. (The exception being Nebraska, the nation s only unicameral legislature comprising a single legislative chamber, upon which the state s overall score was based.) 4 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

8 The Highlights For the third consecutive year, Tennessee earned ACUF s We the People Award for earning the nation s highest overall score of percent. Massachusetts was the most liberal state for the second consecutive year, earning an overall score of 15.6 percent. The Tennessee Senate earned the award for the most conservative upper chamber (86.2 percent) and the Wyoming House earned the award for the most conservative lower chamber (75.87 percent). The average state score rose 1.85 percentage points to percent for the 217 legislative session, and a total of 31 states earned higher overall scores compared to the 216 legislative session. South Dakota was the state with the greatest year-over-year increase with a 2.85 percent improvement. The following seven states saw significant improvement (an increase of 1 percent or more): Ohio, Iowa, Alaska, Kentucky, Louisiana, Connecticut and Wyoming. The following states faltered by more than 1 percent compared to the 216 session: Mississippi, Indiana, New Mexico and Kansas. South Carolina once again earned the lowest overall score among the 24 states where control both chambers and the governorship (31.56 percent), while Delaware received the highest overall score among the seven states where control both chambers and the legislature (45.53 percent). Of course, governors ultimately decide whether to sign or veto legislation. Based on our interactions, three governors stood out as particularly strong leaders in driving a conservative agenda: Matt Bevin (Kentucky), Scott Walker (Wisconsin) and Pete Ricketts (Nebraska). TN: Most Conservative Legislature MA: Least Conservative Legislature SC: Least Conservative Legislature under Republican Control DE: Most Conservative Legislature under Democrat Control Additionally, ACU appreciates the determined and principled actions of Paul LePage (Maine) for his use of the veto pen to stop a radical liberal agenda. With 132 vetoes in 217, LePage s seven-year record stood at 551 vetoes at the end of the legislative year. Conversely, a handful of governors consistently vetoed conservative reforms: John Kasich (Ohio), Terry McAuliffe (Virginia), Mark Dayton (Minnesota), and Steve Bullock (Montana). Gov. Kasich has been especially disappointing considering of the Ohio General Assembly were ranked as the most conservative in the nation for 217 (97.69 percent). AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 5

9 #1 TENNESSEE 78.21% 86.2% 9.91% 56.51% 7.22% 83.89% ACUF Percentage by Party 34.% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #2 OHIO 74.53% 73.59% 97.2% 11.11% 75.47% 98.35% ACUF OHIO Percentage ACU PERCENTAGE by Party -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 29.69% 6 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

10 #3 WYOMING 72.87% 69.86% 72.89% 42.59% 75.87% 81.44% 44.31% WYOMING ACUF Percentage ACU PERCENTAGE by Party -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #4 KENTUCKY 71.61% 77.5% 87.12% 52.32% 66.17% 81.75% 38.57% KENTUCKY ACUF Percentage ACU PERCENTAGE by Party -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 7

11 #5 FLORIDA 69.79% 68.95% 88.64% 34.6% 7.63% 91.5% ACUF Percentage FLORIDA by Party 3.41% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #6 TEXAS 69.2% 72.2% 91.41% 36.75% 66.2% 8.43% ACUF Percentage TEXAS by Party 4.93% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 8 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

12 #7 WEST VIRGINIA 67.3% 68.4% 81.68% 43.5% 66.1% 86.24% ACUF Percentage by Party 3.38% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #8 UTAH 66.7% 69.47% 77.58% 3.53% 63.92% 74.66% ACUF Percentage by Party 12.55% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 9

13 #9 MISSOURI 66.42% 66.53% 84.55% 18.5% 66.3% 82.55% ACUF MISSOURI Percentage by Party 22.48% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #1 SOUTH DAKOTA 66.11% 67.83% 74.39% 36.13% 64.39% 69.3% ACUF Percentage by Party 35.92% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 1 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

14 #11 NORTH CAROLINA 64.21% 64.92% 81.51% 36.1% 63.51% 83.89% ACUF Percentage by Party 32.97% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #12 ALASKA 63.78% 67.1% 82.44% ACUF Percentage by Party 23.82% 6.55% 87.78% % -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 11

15 #13 ALABAMA 62.32% 65.99% 74.51% 37.99% 58.64% 63.11% ACUF Percentage by Party 45.62% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #14 WISCONSIN 62.3% ASSEMBLY 61.67% 89.85% 18.32% 62.93% 91.18% ACUF Percentage by Party 13.7% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 12 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

16 #15 LOUISIANA 62.18% 58.45% 64.98% 46.39% 65.91% 71.94% ACUF Percentage by Party 56.43% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #16 IDAHO 61.8% 6.9% 65.67% ACUF Percentage IDAHO by Party 37.85% 62.69% 68.35% % -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 13

17 #17 PENNSYLVANIA 58.6% 61.85% 77.38% 28.85% 55.34% 78.99% ACUF Percentage by Party 14.18% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #18 IOWA 58.46% 61.44% 91.84% 18.55% 53.64% 87.57% ACUF Percentage by Party 1.9% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 14 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

18 #19 MICHIGAN 57.39% 6.9% 77.8% 16.63% 54.69% 8.68% ACUF Percentage by Party 18.3% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #2 MONTANA 57.18% 58.26% 84.22% 11.75% 56.1% 85.81% ACUF Percentage by Party 13.34% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 15

19 #21 ARKANSAS 56.93% 55.9% 65.53% 3.22% 57.96% 69.59% ACUF Percentage by Party 24.53% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #22 INDIANA 56.91% 56.69% 63.24% 16.89% 57.13% 72.91% ACUF Percentage by Party 2.84% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 16 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

20 #23 GEORGIA 55.72% 6.81% 71.23% 38.73% 5.63% 66.77% ACUF Percentage by Party 2.51% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #24 VIRGINIA 55.18% 51.99% 82.83% 17.9% 58.37% 81.57% ACUF VIRGINIA Percentage by Party 11.98% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 17

21 #25 ARIZONA 54.99% 56.33% 89.14% 12.54% 53.64% 87.16% ACUF Percentage by Party 6.72% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #26 NEBRASKA 54.98% 217 ACUF Percentage by Party UNICAMERAL/ NON PARTISAN % 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% Lawmakers 18 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

22 #27 OKLAHOMA 54.57% 56.57% 62.49% 19.11% 52.57% 63.52% ACUF Percentage by Party 22.25% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #28 NORTH DAKOTA 54.22% 49.85% 57.5% 2.25% 58.59% 64.67% ACUF NORTH Percentage DAKOTA by Party 21.16% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 19

23 #29 MINNESOTA 53.15% 49.18% 88.8% 8.41% 57.12% 9.3% ACUF Percentage by Party 12.3% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #3 MISSISSIPPI 5.31% 48.27% 56.89% 34.49% 52.34% 67.95% ACUF Percentage by Party 27.76% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 2 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

24 #31 NEVADA 49.71% 52.57% 86.29% 27.11% 46.84% 82.81% ACUF Percentage by Party 26.86% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #32 COLORADO 48.3% 5.53% 78.97% 2.43% 45.52% 86.76% ACUF Percentage by Party 14.32% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 21

25 #33 NEW HAMPSHIRE 47.79% 49.5% 8.23%.56% 46.52% 8.55% ACUF Percentage by Party 6.32% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #34 DELAWARE 46.15% 47.85% 65.2% 32.23% 44.44% 62.77% ACUF Percentage by Party 32.72% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 22 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

26 #35 CONNECTICUT 44.86% 43.39% 5.4% 36.75% 46.33% 54.31% ACUF Percentage by Party 38.96% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #36 KANSAS 43.24% 43.31% 48.88% 24.72% 43.17% 49.8% ACUF Percentage by Party 29.6% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 23

27 #37 ILLINOIS 42.42% 38.99% 69.92% 18.37% 45.84% 8.34% ACUF Percentage by Party 19.18% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #38 WASHINGTON 41.64% 43.59% 67.16% 2.95% 39.68% 75.36% ACUF WASHINGTON Percentage by Party 5.42% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 24 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

28 #39 NEW YORK 41.43% 47.3% 58.3% 28.86% 35.55% 77.91% ACUF Percentage by Party 17.76% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #4 OREGON 4.6% 4.71% 73.83% 15.38% 39.41% 72.68% ACUF Percentage by Party 14.95% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 25

29 #41 MAINE 39.59% 34.6% 58.28% 8.42% 45.11% 85.29% ACUF Percentage by Party 9.13% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #42 NEW MEXICO 36.46% 31.4% 73.59% 3.27% 41.52% 79.6% ACUF Percentage by Party 8.58% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 26 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

30 #43 CALIFORNIA 32.36% ASSEMBLY 33.33% 88.96% 6.54% 31.39% 8.42% ACUF Percentage by Party 8.7% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #44 VERMONT 31.93% 3.89% 73.57% 16.11% 32.96% 8.53% ACUF Percentage by Party 4.24% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 27

31 #45 SOUTH CAROLINA 31.56% 22.67% 26.41% 16.6% 4.44% 5.15% ACUF Percentage by Party 21.8% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #46 NEW JERSEY 29.23% ASSEMBLY 27.42% 6.61% 8.5% 31.5% 8.84% ACUF Percentage by Party 8.6% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 28 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

32 #47 RHODE ISLAND 27.38% 19.79% 67.82% 11.79% 34.96% 86.78% ACUF Percentage by Party 25.95% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #48 MARYLAND 26.55% 24.6% 64.4% 7.72% 28.57% 72.94% ACUF Percentage by Party 4.19% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 29

33 #49 HAWAII 23.93% 24.95% n/a 24.95% 22.9% 29.26% ACUF Percentage by Party 22.19% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% #5 MASSACHUSETTS 15.6% 11.95% 67.31% 1.24% 18.17% 76.46% ACUF Percentage by Party 1.31% -9% 1-19% 2-29% 3-39% 4-49% 5-59% 6-69% 7-79% 8-89% 9-1% 3 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

34 Nationwide Results: Republican vs. Democrat Average Lawmaker Score: 51.34% Across 7,434 lawmakers in 5 states AVERAGE REPUBLICAN SCORE: 75.5% Across 4,222 in 5 states AVERAGE DEMOCRATIC SCORE: 18.83% Across 3,176 in 5 states Legislators Receiving CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE: Legislators Receiving CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT: Legislators Qualifying for COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT: 9%-1% 8%-89% %-1% 825 1,71 1,63 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 31

35 States with Most and Least Conservative Republican State Delegations Ohio had the most conservative Republican delegation with an average score of percent. Hawaii had the least conservative Republican delegation with an average score of percent. These scores are calculated by averaging each state s upper and lower chamber Republican scores in order to better reflect the differences in political power between the chambers. MOST CONSERVATIVE BY STATE Republican Average REPUBLICAN DELEGATION RATING 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % 97.69% 9.52% 9.7% 89.71% 89.55% Ohio Wisconsin Florida Iowa Minnesota 88.49% 87.4% Arizona Tennessee 85.92% Texas 85.11% Alaska 85.2% Montana LEAST CONSERVATIVE BY STATE Republican Average 1% 9% 8% REPUBLICAN DELEGATION RATING 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % 38.28% 29.26% Hawaii South Carolina 6.86% 62.42% 63.1% 63.9% 52.17% 49.34% Kansas Connecticut North Dakota Mississippi Oklahoma Delaware 67.1% Idaho 67.56% Arkansas 32 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

36 States with Most and Least Conservative Democratic Delegation Louisiana had the most conservative Democratic delegation with an average score of percent. Massachusetts had the least conservative Democratic delegation with a score of 1.28 percent. These scores are calculated by averaging each state s upper and lower chamber Democrat scores in order to reflect the differences in political power between the chambers. MOST CONSERVATIVE BY STATE Democrat Average DEMOCRATIC DELEGATION RATING 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % 51.41% 45.44% 45.25% 43.45% 41.81% Louisiana Kentucky Tennessee Wyoming Alabama 38.84% 37.86% 36.71% 36.3% 34.54% Texas Connecticut West Virginia South Dakota North Carolina LEAST CONSERVATIVE BY STATE Democrat Average DEMOCRATIC DELEGATION RATING 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % Massachusetts 5.93% 5.96% 1.28% 3.44% New Hampshire New Mexico Maryland 7.62% 8.32% 8.77% 9.63% 1.18% 1.36% California New Jersey Maine Arizona Vermont Minnesota AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 33

37 States with Greatest Partisan Divide Minnesota had the largest disparity between Republican and Democrat scores (79.19 percentage point difference). Sixteen states had partisan divides of 6 percent or more, while the average partisan divide among all states was 5.4 percent. Disparity 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % Minnesota 79.19% 78.86% 77.29% 77.7% 76.95% 75.39% 74.51% Arizona Ohio California New Hampshire Iowa Wisconsin 72.47% 7.67% Montana New Mexico 66.87% Vermont 89.55% 88.49% 97.69% 84.69% 8.39% 89.71% 9.52% 85.2% 76.6% 77.5% 1.36% 9.63% 2.4% 7.62% 3.44% 14.32% 16.1% 12.55% 5.93% 1.18% 34 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

38 States with Most and Least Conservative Upper Chambers Tennessee had the most conservative upper chamber with a score of 86.2 percent, meaning that over 86 percent of votes by both and were aligned with conservative principles. Massachusetts had the least conservative upper chamber with a score of percent. MOST CONSERVATIVE UPPER CHAMBERS BY STATE Upper Chamber Average 1% SCORE OF UPPER CHAMBER 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % 86.2% 77.5% Tennessee Kentucky 73.59% Ohio 72.2% 69.86% 69.47% 68.95% 68.4% 67.83% 67.1% Texas wyoming Utah Florida West Virginia South Dakota Alaska LEAST CONSERVATIVE UPPER CHAMBERS BY STATE Upper Chamber Average SCORE OF UPPER CHAMBER 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % 11.95% Massachusetts Rhode Island 27.42% 19.79% 22.67% 24.6% 24.95% South Carolina Maryland Hawaii New Jersey 31.4% 33.33% 34.6% 3.89% Vermont New Mexico California Maine AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 35

39 States with Most and Least Conservative Lower Chambers Wyoming had the most conservative lower chamber with a score of percent, meaning that over 75 percent of votes by both and were aligned with conservative principles. Massachusetts had the least conservative lower chamber with a score of percent. MOST CONSERVATIVE LOWER CHAMBERS BY STATE Lower Chamber Average 1% 9% 8% SCORE OF LOWER CHAMBER 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % 75.87% 75.47% Wyoming Ohio 7.63% 7.22% Florida Tennessee 66.3% 66.17% 66.2% 66.1% 65.91% 64.39% Missouri Kentucky Texas West Virginia Louisiana South Dakota LEAST CONSERVATIVE LOWER CHAMBERS BY STATE Lower Chamber Average 1% 9% 8% 7% SCORE OF LOWER CHAMBER 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % 18.17% Massachusetts 28.57% 22.9% Hawaii Maryland 34.96% 35.55% 31.5% 31.39% 32.96% New Jersey California Vermont Rhode Island New York 39.41% 39.68% Oregon Washington 36 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

40 States with the Greatest Percentages of Award Winners At 64 percent, Ohio had the greatest percentage of its legislature receiving awards, with 6 percent of lawmakers receiving the Award for Conservative Excellence and 4 percent receiving the Award for Conservative Achievement. Hawaii, Connecticut and South Carolina tied for last place, all without a single lawmaker receiving an award. Lawmakers who earn scores of 9 percent or above are presented with ACUF s Award for Conservative Excellence and those who earn scores of between 8 percent and 89 percent are presented with ACUF s Award for Conservative Achievement. Excellence Achievement Radical Left Other 3% 6% 4% 3% 4% FL WI 46% 6% 5% 11% 14% 9% % OHIO FLORIDA WISCONSIN 9% 14% 46% NC 41% 44% TN 42% 4% NORTH CAROLINA % TENNESSEE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 37

41 States with the Greatest Percentages of "Radical Left" Members Lawmakers who earn scores of 1 percent or below are recognized as part of ACUF s Coalition of the Radical Left. With 8 percent of lawmakers qualifying, Massachusetts had the highest percentage of Radical Left members. Excellence Achievement Radical Left Other 1% % 24% 8% 36% 5% 24% 11% 1% MA MD CA 59% 67% 55% MASSACHUSETTS MARYLAND CALIFORNIA 8% 5% 7% 33% 32% 17% NJ NM 54% 44% NEW JERSEY NEW MEXICO 38 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

42 Ratings of Congress Visit us online at conservative.org to view the oldest conservative scorecard with nearly five decades of congressional voting records th Edition RATINGS of CONGRESS 115 th United States Congress, First Session 217 WINNERS & LOSERS 9-1% AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE US US US US US US US US US US Cruz Daines Flake Lee Paul Sasse Allen Arrington Babin Banks Barr Biggs Black Blackburn Brat Brooks, M. Buck Budd Burgess Byrne Carter, B. Chabot Collins, D. Comer Conaway Davidson DeSantis DesJarlais Duncan, Jeff Farenthold Ferguson Flores Foxx Franks Gaetz Garrett Goodlatte Gosar Gowdy Graves, T. Griffith Grothman Guthrie Harris Hensarling Hice Higgins, C. Holding Hudson Huizenga Hultgren Johnson, M. Johnson, S. Jordan Labrador Lamborn Loudermilk Marchant McClintock McHenry Meadows Messer Olson Palmer Perry Pittenger Ratcliffe Rice, T. Rokita Rooney, F. Ross Rouzer Sanford Schweikert Sensenbrenner Sessions Smith, J. Smith, L. Taylor Wagner Walker Walorski Weber Webster Wenstrup Williams Woodall Yoho 8-89% US Barrasso Blunt Boozman Burr Cassidy Corker Cornyn Cotton Crapo Enzi Ernst TABLE OF CONTENTS AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT Letter from the Chairman...2 ACU & ACUF Board Members...3 US US US Selecting the US Votes...3 US US Grassley Hoeven Inhofe Johnson Kennedy Lankford McConnell Moran Perdue Risch Roberts Rounds Rubio Scott Shelby Strange Thune Tillis Toomey Wicker Young Abraham 217 Winners Collins, & Losers C....4 Granger Kustoff Aderholt US Senate Statistics Cramer...6 Graves, G. LaHood Amodei US Senate Vote Crawford Descriptions Graves,...7 S. LaMalfa Barton US Senate Scores Culberson...1 Handel Latta US House Statistics...19 Bergman Dunn Harper Lewis, Jason US House Vote Descriptions...2 Bilirakis Emmer Hill Long US House Scores...23 Bishop, M. Estes Hollingsworth Love Bishop, R. Brady, K. Carter, J. Cheney Fleischmann Gallagher Gibbs Gohmert Hunter Jenkins, L. Kelly, T. King, S. Massie McCaul McMorris Rodgers McSally US Mitchell Mooney Mullin Newhouse Noem Norman Nunes Pearce Poe Posey Renacci US Roby Roe Rohrabacher Rooney, T. Royce Russell Scott, A. Smith, Adrian Stewart Thornberry Tipton US Trott Walberg Walters Westerman Wilson, J. Wittman Womack Yoder Young, David 4 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION S 217 Ratings of Congress 115 th Congress, First Session To view the individualized scores of over 8, state and federal elected officials visit: #ACURatings Conservative.org AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW 39

43 Contribute to the Foundation ACUF's Center for Legislative Accountability Founded in 1971 as the original conservative scorecard, ACUF ratings are the gold standard for holding elected officials accountable for their votes. Today, ACUF remains the only organization to rate every lawmaker in America, every session, across the full spectrum of issues. Expanding on that legacy, ACUF s newly launched Center for Legislative Accountability exists to demonstrate that conservative governance yields the best outcomes for society by equipping legislators, thought leaders and activists with evidence of the link between pursuing conservative policies and creating the greatest opportunities for people to lead fulfilling lives. To accomplish that mission, ACUF educates American citizens through its ratings initiative about how over 8, federal and state elected officials view the role of government in a person s life, holds those officials accountable for the way they voted on the full spectrum of conservative issues, and works with those officials on the policy areas on which they can improve to advance freedom. Ratings of the States: Year in Review is the premier publication of the Center for Legislative Accountability. Unlike other publications, which compare states by analyzing current fiscal and social environments, Year in Review indicates the future likelihood of states enacting conservative solutions by providing a blueprint of the voting and political trends of each state. For more about the Center for Legislative Accountability: membership@conservative.org Donate to ACU Foundation by visiting Follow us on 4 AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION FOUNDATION RATINGS OF THE STATES - YEAR IN REVIEW

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