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Democrat · Virginia Senate, district 36

Serving since Jan 10, 2024VA 2025–26 session

Portrait of Stella Pekarsky, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
59%
of itemized money from Virginia donors, in the bottom tenth of State Senate Democrats

59% of the itemized money from individuals in the 2026 cycle came from donors with an address in Virginia. Ranks 646th of 714, where 1st is the highest share. 4 itemized donors.

Only donors who give more than $200 are reported with an address, so this is the share of that itemized money from donors living in Virginia, ranked among State Senate Democrats. Small gifts are not counted either way. Candidates running statewide or for federal office often draw more money from out of state.

At a glance

6 measures against State Senate Democrats. Pekarsky sits at −0.88 on the CSIP scale, more liberal than 80% of State Senate Democrats. Pekarsky reported $69.1K in the 2026 cycle, in the top half of State Senate Democrats (median $55.5K).

The measures on which Pekarsky sits furthest from the middle of State Senate Democrats, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.

From Virginia, 2026

59%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 646th of 714 State Senate Democrats

CSIP ideology

−0.88

More liberal than 80% of State Senate Democrats · ± 0.08

Party unity

99.0%

Virginia Senate average 95.7% · ranks 9th of 40 · 23 votes against the majority of Virginia Senate Democrats

Itemized, 2026

$69.1K

State Senate Democrats’ median $55.5K · ranks 339th of 746

Attendance

98.1%

Virginia Senate average 97.8% · ranks 21st of 40 · 6,566 roll calls

Out of committee

91%

Virginia Senate average 90% · ranks 20th of 40

Peer group: State Senate Democrats. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Pekarsky, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Pekarsky is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Pekarsky says

No statements for the VA 2025–26 session.No classified statements (posts, press releases, newsletters, floor speeches) in this time window.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

No policy statements for the VA 2025–26 session.No classified statements (posts, press releases, newsletters, floor speeches) in this time window.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Pekarsky sits at −0.88 on the CSIP scale, left of 0, more liberal than 80% of State Senate Democrats. Approximate range −0.96 to −0.80, which understates the uncertainty; from 148 donors and 599 roll calls.

CSIP, the lab’s Common-Space Ideal Point, places every official, federal and state, on one left–right scale, estimated from roll-call votes, who gives money to whom, and the text of statements. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of “moderate”.

−0.88

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range −0.96 to −0.80. From 148 donors and 599 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Pekarsky −0.9State Senate Democrats −0.7Virginia Senate −0.6All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Pekarsky, coloured by its side of 0 (blue left, red right, deeper further out); the bar through it is the approximate range (±1.96 standard errors), which understates the uncertainty; the grey ticks below are the medians of Pekarsky’s groups. 0 is the centre of the scale, not “moderate” by definition.

What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score summarises how an official votes, who funds them and how they talk, relative to everyone else. It does not grade positions as good or bad, and two officials with the same score can differ on any single issue. The ± range is 1.96 standard errors, which understates the uncertainty: scores whose ranges overlap may not differ at all, and even scores whose ranges do not overlap may not differ.

Where Pekarsky sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State Senate Democratsmedian −0.7Pekarsky −0.9Virginia Senatemedian −0.6All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Pekarsky's CSIP score of −0.88 placed against State Senate Democrats, Virginia Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Pekarsky
State Senate Democrats825−0.720%
Virginia Senate40−0.615%
All State Senate1909+0.19%
How to read the strips

Every small dot is one official on the same scale, coloured by its own score (blue left of 0, red right of 0, grey at 0, deeper further out) and spread up and down only to keep dots apart; where a group is crowded the dots overlap, and darker patches mean more officials. The large outlined dot is Pekarsky in every row; the rule is each group’s median. The table under the figure gives the share of each group to the left of Pekarsky.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Pekarsky reported $69.1K in the 2026 cycle, above the State Senate Democrats’ median of $55.5K. State filings report no small-donation total. 59% of itemized individual money came from Virginia.

Campaign money from state campaign-finance filings, as aggregates only; the lab never shows an individual donor. Campaigns must report by name every person who gives them more than $200 in a cycle (“itemized”); smaller gifts are reported only as one total (“unitemized”), so donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations describe itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift total, so these figures add up itemized contributions only.

Election cycle
$69.1K

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 4 itemized donors. State Senate Democrats’ median $55.5K.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $1,850 (2.7%)Individuals (itemized): $1,850 (2.7%)Individuals (itemized): $1,850 (2.7%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)PACs and other committees: $67.3K (97.3%)
  • Individuals (itemized)3 squares$1,850
  • PACs and other committees97 squares$67.3K
Show the data
Sources of Pekarsky's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$1,8502.7%
PACs and other committees$67.3K97.3%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.

Receipts by cycle

Itemized contributions, 2024 to 2026. The grey line is the State Senate Democrats’ median for 2026.

2024 cycle: $867.4K$867.4K20242026 cycle: $69.1K$69.1K2026State Senate Democrats median $55.5K
Show the data
Pekarsky's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Democrats median.
ItemValue
2024 cycle$867.4K
2026 cycle$69.1K

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 59% came from Virginia.

  1. Virginia$1,100
  2. California$500
  3. New York$250

Small donations

State filings report no total for small gifts.

Not reported in state filings.

Where itemized donors live

Individuals who gave more than $200, by donor state

Alaska: no dataAKMaine: no dataMEVermont: no dataVTNew Hampshire: no dataNHWashington: no dataWAIdaho: no dataIDMontana: no dataMTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: no dataMNIllinois: no dataILWisconsin: no dataWIMichigan: no dataMINew York: $250NYRhode Island: no dataRIMassachusetts: no dataMAOregon: no dataORNevada: no dataNVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: no dataSDIowa: no dataIAIndiana: no dataINOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: no dataPANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: $500CAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: $1,100VAMaryland: no dataMDDelaware: no dataDEArizona: no dataAZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: no dataKSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: no dataTNNorth Carolina: no dataNCSouth Carolina: no dataSCDistrict of Columbia: no dataDCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: no dataLAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: no dataGAHawaii: no dataHITexas: no dataTXFlorida: no dataFL
Show the data
Pekarsky's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Virginia$1,100
California$500
New York$250
AlaskaNo data
MaineNo data
VermontNo data
New HampshireNo data
WashingtonNo data
IdahoNo data
MontanaNo data
North DakotaNo data
MinnesotaNo data
IllinoisNo data
WisconsinNo data
MichiganNo data
Rhode IslandNo data
MassachusettsNo data
OregonNo data
NevadaNo data
WyomingNo data
South DakotaNo data
IowaNo data
IndianaNo data
OhioNo data
PennsylvaniaNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo data
West VirginiaNo data
MarylandNo data
DelawareNo data
ArizonaNo data
New MexicoNo data
KansasNo data
ArkansasNo data
TennesseeNo data
North CarolinaNo data
South CarolinaNo data
District of ColumbiaNo data
OklahomaNo data
LouisianaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
GeorgiaNo data
HawaiiNo data
TexasNo data
FloridaNo data
4

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

59%

from Virginia

Of itemized individual dollars

How to read the map

Every state the same size. Darker states gave more itemized money; hatched states had no itemized donors; the outlined state is Virginia. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No occupations reported.

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. CLEAN VIRGINIA$22.5K
  2. VA OPERATORS FOR SKILL$5,000
  3. HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF VIRGINIA BUILD PAC$4,000
  4. VADPAC$3,500
  5. BALTIMORE WASHINGTON CONSTRUCTION AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES LABORERS PAC$2,500

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Pekarsky voted with the majority of Virginia Senate Democrats on 99.0% of party-line votes and missed 1.9% of 6,566 roll calls. Virginia Senate on average: 95.7% party unity, 97.8% attendance. Across all roll calls, Pekarsky voted against the majority of Virginia Senate Democrats 23 times.

6,566 roll calls Pekarsky could vote on in the VA 2025–26 session, compared with Virginia Senate. Attendance is the share with a vote recorded. Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Pekarsky voted with the majority of Virginia Senate Democrats. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

23

votes against the majority of Virginia Senate Democrats

Party unity 99.0%, Virginia Senate average 95.7%, ranks 9th of 40. 6,566 roll calls in the VA 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Pekarsky, the thin grey bar the Virginia Senate average. The scale runs from 80% to 100% to show the gap.

80%100%
Pekarsky
Peers
Rank
Attendance
98.1%
97.8%
21st of 40
Party unity
99.0%
95.7%
9th of 40
Show the data
Pekarsky's attendance and party unity against Virginia Senate.
RowPekarskyPeers
Attendance98.1%97.8%
Party unity99.0%95.7%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

A missed roll call has many causes, from illness to campaigning, so attendance says how often, not why. A vote against the majority can be on procedure as well as substance, and many fall on roll calls where both parties split; the key votes below show the ones that decided something.

Key votes

Roll calls the lab flags as key

No votes in this window met the key-vote rules.

How key votes are chosen

Automatically: a final-passage or override vote where the measure became law, the margin was under 10%, at least 10% of either party voted against its majority, or the bill was among the 25 most mentioned in officials’ own statements. Up to 25 per window, most recent first; five are shown. Bars show yea on the left, nay on the right, per party.

Votes most often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Pekarsky most often

  1. Ghazala HashmiD3,045 shared votes100%
  2. Adam EbbinD4,324 shared votes100%
  3. Saddam SalimD6,432 shared votes100%
  4. Barbara FavolaD6,434 shared votes99%
  5. Kannan SrinivasanD6,388 shared votes99%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Pekarsky least often

  1. Travis HackworthR5,742 shared votes83%
  2. Bill DeStephR6,434 shared votes83%
  3. Mark ObenshainR6,140 shared votes83%
  4. Luther CifersR6,391 shared votes84%
  5. Ryan McDougleR6,429 shared votes84%
How to read the agreement lists

The share of roll calls both members voted on where they voted the same way, among colleagues sharing at least 50 such votes. High agreement with members of the other party is common on routine votes.

Full voting record

VA 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Pekarsky sponsored 65 bills in the VA 2025–26 session; 26 became law. Cosponsored 126 others. 91% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Virginia Senate average 90%; 20th of 40).

The bills Pekarsky sponsored and cosponsored in the VA 2025–26 session, from the official bill records, and how far each got: introduced, referred to or acted on in committee, passed one chamber, passed both, became law. A bill counts at every stage it has reached, so the blocks only shrink to the right.

Bills by stage

Counts for the VA 2025–26 session

Sponsored65 billsSponsored, Introduced: 6565Sponsored, In committee: 6565Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 4545Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 3333Sponsored, Became law: 2626Cosponsored126 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 126126Cosponsored, In committee: 125125Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 119119Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 5353Cosponsored, Became law: 1111IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Pekarsky sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored6565453326
Cosponsored1261251195311
How to read the blocks

Ink blocks are bills Pekarsky sponsored, ochre blocks bills Pekarsky cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.

91%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Virginia Senate average 90%. Ranks 20th of 40.

Cosponsorship partners

Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Pekarsky, by number of shared bills in the VA 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.

  1. Saddam Salim35
  2. Jennifer Boysko28
  3. Barbara Favola27
  4. Jennifer Carroll Foy26
  5. Scott Surovell24
What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score is the share of sponsored bills that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, with at least 5 sponsored bills, ranked within the peer group. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position in the chamber as well as effort. Cosponsorship partners are the five colleagues who share the most of Pekarsky’s bills; the toggle shows more.

Bill list

Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest

Bills sponsored and cosponsored
SR 2044Celebrating the life of Bernard L. Henderson, Jr.CosponsorJun 18, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedBill text as passed Senate (SR2044ER) Jun 23, 2026
SR 2005Commending the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team.CosponsorApr 23, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedBill text as passed Senate (SR2005ER) Apr 28, 2026
SR 169Commending Debbie L. Sydow, Ph.D.CosponsorMar 13, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedBill text as passed Senate (SR169ER) Mar 25, 2026
SR 117Celebrating the life of the Honorable Gerald Edward Connolly.CosponsorMar 10, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedBill text as passed Senate (SR117ER) Mar 24, 2026
SR 122Commending Kurt Rose.CosponsorMar 10, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedBill text as passed Senate (SR122ER) Mar 26, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that changed 1 time in 90 days. Pekarsky’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Oct 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Pekarsky’s official and campaign websites (weekly for Congress, monthly for the states) and keeps every page’s text, so changes can be read later; it also records social accounts and describes the images Pekarsky posts with a vision model.

Websites

How to read the counts

“Pages crawled” is the size of the site at the last crawl; “changes in 90 days” counts pages whose text differed from the previous crawl. Sites change for many routine reasons, such as new press releases, so a high count is not by itself notable.

Images Pekarsky posted

No images from Pekarsky’s posts have been described.

About the descriptions

Written by a vision model and may be wrong. Open the post to see the original. Five are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

State floor speeches

No transcribed state floor speeches are matched to this legislator yet.

Floor speeches

Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

How this page was made. Profile built Oct 28, 2026; site last built Oct 28, 2026. Every number on the page is computed from the sources listed here, by the same rules for every official; nothing is written by hand.

The headline

The headline is the measure on which Pekarsky is most unusual among State Senate Democrats, chosen by one rule for every official of every party. The candidates are the rate of each kind of statement and of extreme labels, party unity, attendance, the small-donor share, the in-state share and total receipts of the latest cycle, the share of sponsored bills that got out of committee, talk-to-bills agreement, and the CSIP score’s place within the party group.

The builder ranks every measure within the same peer group the page compares it with, and writes each official’s percentile: the share of the group below the value, ties counting half, so 0.5 is the median and a value shared by many never ranks first. A measure’s score is how far that percentile sits from the median (0 in the middle, 0.5 at either end), and the highest score leads if it is above 0.25, outside the middle half of the group. Scores within 0.03 of each other are a tie, broken in this order: votes against the party majority, kinds of statement, ideology, roll calls missed, small donations, in-state money, legislation, agreement, extreme labels, receipts.

A measure counts only with at least 200 statements, 100 roll calls or 5 sponsored bills behind it and a peer group of at least 10. Two things never lead: high party unity or attendance, where most members sit, and a high rate of a kind of statement backed by fewer than 10 statements. When nothing qualifies, the headline is a neutral fact instead: statements classified, or years in office. The wording always names the direction (“in the bottom 5% of …”, “votes against the majority of …”).

Identifiers

Profile id
138f964d-7137-487b-96d6-ad836b67db83
Open States
ocd-person/138f964d-7137-487b-96d6-ad836b67db83

Bulk files with the same data for every official:

Freshness of this profile’s data

  • What politicians sayOct 27, 20261 days agoMembers of Congress: tweets since 2017; press releases, newsletters and floor speeches since 2022. State legislators: tweets since May 2024. Governors: tweets since January 2025. Labels from an LLM classifier.
  • Roll calls (state)Oct 21, 20267 days agoOpen States floor roll calls, 2019 on (none for AK and MO).
  • Bills (state)Oct 28, 2026todayOpen States bills and sponsors, 2019 on; stages from roll calls.
  • Campaign money (state)no dateState campaign-finance agencies, 2019 on; aggregates only.
  • Ideology (CSIP)Oct 25, 20263 days agoCommon-Space Ideal Points (CSIP), current validated run.
  • WebsitesOct 25, 20263 days agoWeekly crawls of federal sites since April 2026; monthly state crawls since June 2026.
  • State floor speechesOct 21, 20267 days agoState floor speech turns (published transcripts and captions), 2020 on; not LLM-classified.

How the measures work

What politicians say
Every post, press release, newsletter and congressional floor speech is read by a language model and marked for personal attacks, policy criticism, policy discussion, bipartisanship and credit claiming. A statement can be in several. Rates are shares of statements in the window. The methods paper.
Extreme labels
A statement has an extreme label when it calls a politician, party or policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who the label is aimed at.
Policy areas and agreement
Statements and bills share 25 Congressional Research Service policy areas (state bills are assigned by a language model). Agreement is 1 − Jensen–Shannon distance between the two distributions, shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.
Ideology (CSIP)
Common-Space Ideal Points place federal and state officials on one left–right scale, estimated jointly from roll calls, campaign contributions and the text of statements, with standard errors. Only a validated run is shown. The methods paper.
Campaign money
Campaigns report by name only donors who give more than $200 in a cycle; smaller gifts are reported as one total. Federal totals and the small-donor share come from the FEC’s financial summaries of each campaign committee. Donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations cover itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift totals, so state figures are itemized only. The lab never publishes donor names.
Votes and key votes
Attendance, party unity and the count of votes against the majority of an official’s own party come from roll calls (Voteview for Congress, chamber records for the states). Key votes are final-passage or override votes that became law, were decided by under 10%, saw at least 10% of a party vote against its majority, or concerned one of the 25 bills most mentioned in officials’ statements.
Peers and ranks
Comparisons are with the same party, chamber and level (for example House Democrats); state legislators are compared within their state and chamber for votes. Every comparison names its group. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; tied values share the average of their ranks, and the percentile is the share of the group below the value, ties counting half.

America’s Political Pulse · Polarization Research Lab

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