Skip to content

Republican · Vermont House, district Windsor-Windham

Serving since Jan 8, 2025VT 2025–26 session

Portrait of Tom Charlton, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
$3,150
in itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle, in the bottom quarter of State House Republicans

The median for State House Republicans is $33.7K. Ranks 2269th of 2,521, where 1st raised the most. 1 itemized donors.

Itemized contributions reported to the state in the 2026 cycle, ranked among State House Republicans. State filings leave small gifts out, and totals depend on whether the seat is up this cycle.

At a glance

4 measures against State House Republicans. 100% of Charlton’s itemized money in the 2026 cycle came from Vermont, in the top quarter of State House Republicans. Charlton sits at +0.19 on the CSIP scale, more liberal than 76% of State House Republicans.

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

Itemized, 2026

$3,150

State House Republicans’ median $33.7K · ranks 2269th of 2,521

From Vermont, 2026

100%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 392nd of 2,335 State House Republicans

CSIP ideology

+0.19

More liberal than 76% of State House Republicans · ± 0.07

Out of committee

62%

Vermont House average 62% · ranks 71st of 150

Statements

No statements in this window

Roll calls

74

Compared with Vermont House

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

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Charlton says

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

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Charlton sits at +0.19 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more liberal than 76% of State House Republicans. Approximate range +0.12 to +0.26, which understates the uncertainty; from 9 donors and 65 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”.

+0.19

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range +0.12 to +0.26. From 9 donors and 65 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Charlton +0.2State House Republicans +0.4Vermont House −0.4All State House +0.1

The outlined dot is Charlton, 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 Charlton’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 Charlton sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State House Republicansmedian +0.4Charlton +0.2Vermont Housemedian −0.4All State Housemedian +0.1
Show the data
Charlton's CSIP score of +0.19 placed against State House Republicans, Vermont House, All State House.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Charlton
State House Republicans2917+0.424%
Vermont House147−0.475%
All State House5324+0.158%
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 Charlton 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 Charlton.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Charlton reported $3,150 in the 2026 cycle, 9.3% of the State House Republicans’ median of $33.7K. State filings report no small-donation total. 100% of itemized individual money came from Vermont.

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
$3,150

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 1 itemized donors. State House Republicans’ median $33.7K.

Where the money came from

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

Individuals (itemized): $150 (4.8%)Individuals (itemized): $150 (4.8%)Individuals (itemized): $150 (4.8%)Individuals (itemized): $150 (4.8%)Individuals (itemized): $150 (4.8%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)PACs and other committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)Party committees: $1,500 (47.6%)
  • Individuals (itemized)5 squares$150
  • PACs and other committees48 squares$1,500
  • Party committees47 squares$1,500
Show the data
Sources of Charlton's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$1504.8%
PACs and other committees$1,50047.6%
Party committees$1,50047.6%
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 House Republicans’ median for 2026.

2024 cycle: $7,432$7,43220242026 cycle: $3,150$3,1502026State House Republicans median $33.7K
Show the data
Charlton's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State House Republicans median.
ItemValue
2024 cycle$7,432
2026 cycle$3,150

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 100% came from Vermont.

  1. Vermont$150

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: $150VTNew Hampshire: no dataNHWashington: no dataWAIdaho: no dataIDMontana: no dataMTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: no dataMNIllinois: no dataILWisconsin: no dataWIMichigan: no dataMINew York: no dataNYRhode 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: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: no dataVAMaryland: 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
Charlton's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Vermont$150
AlaskaNo data
MaineNo data
New HampshireNo data
WashingtonNo data
IdahoNo data
MontanaNo data
North DakotaNo data
MinnesotaNo data
IllinoisNo data
WisconsinNo data
MichiganNo data
New YorkNo 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
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo data
West VirginiaNo data
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
1

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

100%

from Vermont

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 Vermont. 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. CHESTER GOP COOPERATIVE, INC.$1,500
  2. SCOTT, PHIL$1,000
  3. COMMON SENSE LEADERSHIP PAC$500

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Charlton voted with the majority of Vermont House Republicans on 83% of party-line votes and missed none of 74 roll calls. Vermont House on average: 92.1% party unity, 92.3% attendance. Across all roll calls, Charlton voted against the majority of Vermont House Republicans 9 times.

74 roll calls Charlton could vote on in the VT 2025–26 session, compared with Vermont House. 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 Charlton voted with the majority of Vermont House Republicans. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

9

votes against the majority of Vermont House Republicans

Party unity 83%, Vermont House average 92.1%, ranks 123rd of 143. 74 roll calls in the VT 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Charlton, the thin grey bar the Vermont House average. The scale runs from 80% to 100% to show the gap.

80%100%
Charlton
Peers
Rank
Attendance
100%
92.3%
12th of 143
Party unity
83%
92.1%
123rd of 143
Show the data
Charlton's attendance and party unity against Vermont House.
RowCharltonPeers
Attendance100%92.3%
Party unity83%92.1%
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

25 roll calls the lab flagged as key in the VT 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
May 29, 2026
JRS 56
Joint resolution relating to final adjournment of the General Assembly in 2026
Which was agreed to on a Roll Call Passed -- Needed 65 of 130 to Pass -- Yeas = 114, Nays = 16
YeaWith majoritypassD 59–11 · R 46–2 · I 2–1Democrats 59 yea, 11 nay; Republicans 46 yea, 2 nay; Independents 2 yea, 1 nayparty crossover
May 29, 2026
H 955
An act relating to next steps in transforming Vermont’s education system
Which was agreed to on a Roll Call Passed -- Needed 68 of 135 to Pass -- Yeas = 125, Nays = 10
YeaWith majoritypassD 68–7 · R 46–2 · I 2–1Democrats 68 yea, 7 nay; Republicans 46 yea, 2 nay; Independents 2 yea, 1 naybecame law
May 29, 2026
H 949
An act relating to homestead property tax yields, the nonhomestead property tax rate, and technical changes to education finance
Which was agreed to on a Roll Call Passed -- Needed 67 of 134 to Pass -- Yeas = 111, Nays = 23
YeaWith majoritypassD 58–16 · R 45–3 · I 1–2Democrats 58 yea, 16 nay; Republicans 45 yea, 3 nay; Independents 1 yea, 2 naybecame law · party crossover
May 28, 2026
S 64
An act relating to amendments to the scope of practice for optometrists
Which was agreed to on a Roll Call Passed -- Needed 66 of 131 to Pass -- Yeas = 93, Nays = 38
YeaWith majoritypassD 39–33 · R 46–1 · I 2–1Democrats 39 yea, 33 nay; Republicans 46 yea, 1 nay; Independents 2 yea, 1 naybecame law · party crossover
May 26, 2026
S 71
An act relating to consumer data privacy and online surveillance
Which was agreed to on a Roll Call Passed -- Needed 66 of 132 to Pass -- Yeas = 129, Nays = 3
YeaWith majoritypassD 67–2 · R 48–1 · I 3–0Democrats 67 yea, 2 nay; Republicans 48 yea, 1 nay; Independents 3 yea, 0 naybecame law
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 Charlton most often

  1. V.L. CoffinR74 shared votes92%
  2. Dave BoschR72 shared votes92%
  3. Debbie DolginR71 shared votes90%
  4. Greg BurttR61 shared votes89%
  5. Beth QuimbyR68 shared votes88%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Charlton least often

  1. Kate McCannD59 shared votes32%
  2. Chloe TomlinsonD73 shared votes33%
  3. Mary-Katherine StoneD66 shared votes33%
  4. Troy HeadrickD73 shared votes34%
  5. Kate LoganD67 shared votes34%
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

VT 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Charlton sponsored 69 bills in the VT 2025–26 session; none became law. Cosponsored 0 others. 62% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Vermont House average 62%; 71st of 150).

The bills Charlton sponsored and cosponsored in the VT 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 VT 2025–26 session

Sponsored69 billsSponsored, Introduced: 6969Sponsored, In committee: 6767Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 4343Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Sponsored, Became law: 00Cosponsored0 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 00Cosponsored, In committee: 00Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 00Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Cosponsored, Became law: 00IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Charlton sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored69674300
Cosponsored00000
How to read the blocks

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

62%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Vermont House average 62%. Ranks 71st of 150.

Cosponsorship partners

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

  1. V.L. Coffin6
  2. Emily Carris-Duncan5
  3. Chris Morrow5
  4. Ashley Bartley4
  5. Leland Morgan4
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 Charlton’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
HCR 307House concurrent resolution honoring Representative Kevin "Coach" Christie of Hartford for his inspirational civic leadership and extending future best wishesSponsorMay 21, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedCeremonial Reading May 26, 2026
HCR 297House concurrent resolution honoring Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Director of Fisheries Eric Palmer and extending future best wishesSponsorMay 14, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedAdopted pursuant to Joint Rule 16b May 15, 2026
HCR 303House concurrent resolution extending best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery to the indomitable Representative Anne de la Blanchetai Donahue of NorthfieldSponsorMay 14, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedCeremonial Reading May 19, 2026
HCR 301House concurrent resolution recognizing May 2026 as National Foster Care Month in VermontSponsorMay 14, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedAdopted pursuant to Joint Rule 16b May 15, 2026
HCR 305House concurrent resolution honoring former Representative Francis Matthew (Topper) McFaun for his exemplary public and community serviceSponsorMay 14, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedCeremonial Reading May 21, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

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

The lab crawls Charlton’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 Charlton 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 Charlton posted

No images from Charlton’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

33 turns, Jan 29, 2026 to May 21, 2026

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 Charlton is most unusual among State House Republicans, 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
21e8e7da-7b5c-4ca1-aa06-3dd53ca5c4a5
Open States
ocd-person/21e8e7da-7b5c-4ca1-aa06-3dd53ca5c4a5

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

Back to top