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Republican · Kentucky Senate, district 16

Serving since Jan 1, 2015KY 2025–26 session

Portrait of Max Wise, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
6.6%
of statements discuss policy, in the bottom 5% of State Senate Republicans

6.6% of 349 statements discuss policy (23 statements); the average for State Senate Republicans is 37%. Ranks 337th of 354, where 1st is the highest rate.

An AI model reads each of Wise’s posts on X and marks whether it discusses a specific policy. The rate is the share of statements marked; it is compared with the average among State Senate Republicans and ranked against the same group.

At a glance

6 measures against State Senate Republicans. Wise reported $221.6K in the 2026 cycle, in the top quarter of State Senate Republicans (median $46.2K). 4.0% of Wise’s statements claim credit, in the bottom quarter of State Senate Republicans (average 15%).

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

Policy discussion

6.6%

State Senate Republicans average 37% · ranks 337th of 354

Attendance

100%

Kentucky Senate average 97.0% · ranks 2nd of 38 · 803 roll calls

Itemized, 2026

$221.6K

State Senate Republicans’ median $46.2K · ranks 150th of 936

Credit claiming

4.0%

State Senate Republicans average 15% · ranks 287th of 354

Policy criticism

1.1%

State Senate Republicans average 9.5% · ranks 282nd of 354

CSIP ideology

+0.55

More conservative than 78% of State Senate Republicans · ± 0.06

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

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Wise says

Wise attacks opponents personally less than 76% of State Senate Republicans. Personal attacks in 0% of 349 statements, against 2.3% for the average State Senate Republican; 272nd of 354.

An AI model reads each of Wise’s 349 statements in the KY 2025–26 session (349 posts on X) and marks the kinds of statement it contains: a personal attack, criticism of a policy, discussion of policy, bipartisanship, credit claiming, and extreme labels. A statement can carry several. Every rate is compared with the average for State Senate Republicans and ranked among them.

Kinds of statement

Share of statements carrying each label, the KY 2025–26 session

0%80%
Wise
Peers
Rank
Policy discussion23 statements
7%
37%
337th of 354
Credit claiming14 statements
4%
15%
287th of 354
Policy criticism4 statements
1%
9%
282nd of 354
Bipartisanship1 statements
0%
2%
259th of 354
Personal attacks0 statements
0%
2%
272nd of 354
Show the data
Wise's share of statements in each category against the State Senate Republicans average.
RowWisePeers
Policy discussion7%37%
Credit claiming4%15%
Policy criticism1%9%
Bipartisanship0%2%
Personal attacks0%2%
349

statements classified

349 posts on X.

posts on X: 349 (100.0%)posts on X 349
Show the data
Wise's statements by source
PartValue
posts on X349
How to read the bars

The thick bar is Wise; the thin grey bar is the average State Senate Republicans. A longer thick bar means Wise does this more than peers. Rank 1 is the highest rate in the group.

Extreme labels

Wise used no extreme labels in 349 statements. The peer average is 1.3%.

No extreme labels in this window.

Who gets the labels

Targets named alongside an extreme label, by number of statements

No targets recorded.

What an extreme label is

Calls a politician, a party or a policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who or what the label was aimed at. The lists show the five most used labels and targets; the toggle shows the rest.

Month by month

Share of statements per month, the KY 2025–26 session

Statements2025-01: 212025-02: 82025-03: 232025-04: 382025-05: 152025-06: 162025-07: 32025-08: 132025-09: 152025-10: 72025-11: 112025-12: 152026-01: 182026-02: 82026-03: 182026-04: 72026-05: 232026-06: 172026-07: 142026-08: 192026-09: 222026-10: 18peak 38 · Apr ’25Personal attackspeak 0.0% · Jan ’25 · latest 0.0%Personal attacks, 2025-01: 0.0% of 21Personal attacks, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-03: 0.0% of 23Personal attacks, 2025-04: 0.0% of 38Personal attacks, 2025-05: 0.0% of 15Personal attacks, 2025-06: 0.0% of 16Personal attacks, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-08: 0.0% of 13Personal attacks, 2025-09: 0.0% of 15Personal attacks, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-11: 0.0% of 11Personal attacks, 2025-12: 0.0% of 15Personal attacks, 2026-01: 0.0% of 18Personal attacks, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-03: 0.0% of 18Personal attacks, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-05: 0.0% of 23Personal attacks, 2026-06: 0.0% of 17Personal attacks, 2026-07: 0.0% of 14Personal attacks, 2026-08: 0.0% of 19Personal attacks, 2026-09: 0.0% of 22Personal attacks, 2026-10: 0.0% of 18Policy criticismpeak 6.3% · Jun ’25 · latest 0.0%Policy criticism, 2025-01: 0.0% of 21Policy criticism, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-03: 4.3% of 23Policy criticism, 2025-04: 5.3% of 38Policy criticism, 2025-05: 0.0% of 15Policy criticism, 2025-06: 6.3% of 16Policy criticism, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-08: 0.0% of 13Policy criticism, 2025-09: 0.0% of 15Policy criticism, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-11: 0.0% of 11Policy criticism, 2025-12: 0.0% of 15Policy criticism, 2026-01: 0.0% of 18Policy criticism, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-03: 0.0% of 18Policy criticism, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-05: 0.0% of 23Policy criticism, 2026-06: 0.0% of 17Policy criticism, 2026-07: 0.0% of 14Policy criticism, 2026-08: 0.0% of 19Policy criticism, 2026-09: 0.0% of 22Policy criticism, 2026-10: 0.0% of 18Policy discussionpeak 18.4% · Apr ’25 · latest 0.0%Policy discussion, 2025-01: 4.8% of 21Policy discussion, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-03: 4.3% of 23Policy discussion, 2025-04: 18.4% of 38Policy discussion, 2025-05: 0.0% of 15Policy discussion, 2025-06: 12.5% of 16Policy discussion, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-08: 0.0% of 13Policy discussion, 2025-09: 13.3% of 15Policy discussion, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-11: 18.2% of 11Policy discussion, 2025-12: 0.0% of 15Policy discussion, 2026-01: 0.0% of 18Policy discussion, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-03: 0.0% of 18Policy discussion, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-05: 0.0% of 23Policy discussion, 2026-06: 5.9% of 17Policy discussion, 2026-07: 0.0% of 14Policy discussion, 2026-08: 10.5% of 19Policy discussion, 2026-09: 13.6% of 22Policy discussion, 2026-10: 0.0% of 18Bipartisanshippeak 2.6% · Apr ’25 · latest 0.0%Bipartisanship, 2025-01: 0.0% of 21Bipartisanship, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-03: 0.0% of 23Bipartisanship, 2025-04: 2.6% of 38Bipartisanship, 2025-05: 0.0% of 15Bipartisanship, 2025-06: 0.0% of 16Bipartisanship, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-08: 0.0% of 13Bipartisanship, 2025-09: 0.0% of 15Bipartisanship, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-11: 0.0% of 11Bipartisanship, 2025-12: 0.0% of 15Bipartisanship, 2026-01: 0.0% of 18Bipartisanship, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-03: 0.0% of 18Bipartisanship, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-05: 0.0% of 23Bipartisanship, 2026-06: 0.0% of 17Bipartisanship, 2026-07: 0.0% of 14Bipartisanship, 2026-08: 0.0% of 19Bipartisanship, 2026-09: 0.0% of 22Bipartisanship, 2026-10: 0.0% of 18Credit claimingpeak 15.4% · Aug ’25 · latest 0.0%Credit claiming, 2025-01: 4.8% of 21Credit claiming, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-03: 4.3% of 23Credit claiming, 2025-04: 5.3% of 38Credit claiming, 2025-05: 6.7% of 15Credit claiming, 2025-06: 12.5% of 16Credit claiming, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-08: 15.4% of 13Credit claiming, 2025-09: 6.7% of 15Credit claiming, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-11: 0.0% of 11Credit claiming, 2025-12: 0.0% of 15Credit claiming, 2026-01: 5.6% of 18Credit claiming, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-03: 0.0% of 18Credit claiming, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-05: 0.0% of 23Credit claiming, 2026-06: 5.9% of 17Credit claiming, 2026-07: 0.0% of 14Credit claiming, 2026-08: 0.0% of 19Credit claiming, 2026-09: 0.0% of 22Credit claiming, 2026-10: 0.0% of 18Extreme labelspeak 0.0% · Jan ’25 · latest 0.0%Extreme labels, 2025-01: 0.0% of 21Extreme labels, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-03: 0.0% of 23Extreme labels, 2025-04: 0.0% of 38Extreme labels, 2025-05: 0.0% of 15Extreme labels, 2025-06: 0.0% of 16Extreme labels, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-08: 0.0% of 13Extreme labels, 2025-09: 0.0% of 15Extreme labels, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-11: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2025-12: 0.0% of 15Extreme labels, 2026-01: 0.0% of 18Extreme labels, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-03: 0.0% of 18Extreme labels, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-05: 0.0% of 23Extreme labels, 2026-06: 0.0% of 17Extreme labels, 2026-07: 0.0% of 14Extreme labels, 2026-08: 0.0% of 19Extreme labels, 2026-09: 0.0% of 22Extreme labels, 2026-10: 0.0% of 18Jan ’25Jul ’25Jan ’26Jul ’26Oct ’26
Show the data
Monthly rates for Wise, each row shaded against its own peak, with statement volume. Months with fewer than 10 statements are left blank.
ColumnStatementsPersonal attacksPolicy criticismPolicy discussionBipartisanshipCredit claimingExtreme labels
Jan ’25210.0%0.0%4.8%0.0%4.8%0.0%
Feb ’258— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’25230.0%4.3%4.3%0.0%4.3%0.0%
Apr ’25380.0%5.3%18.4%2.6%5.3%0.0%
May ’25150.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%6.7%0.0%
Jun ’25160.0%6.3%12.5%0.0%12.5%0.0%
Jul ’253— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Aug ’25130.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%15.4%0.0%
Sep ’25150.0%0.0%13.3%0.0%6.7%0.0%
Oct ’257— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Nov ’25110.0%0.0%18.2%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Dec ’25150.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Jan ’26180.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%5.6%0.0%
Feb ’268— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’26180.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Apr ’267— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’26230.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Jun ’26170.0%0.0%5.9%0.0%5.9%0.0%
Jul ’26140.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Aug ’26190.0%0.0%10.5%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Sep ’26220.0%0.0%13.6%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Oct ’26180.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
How to read the strips

Each row is one kind of statement; each cell is a month, shaded against that row’s own peak (darker = closer to the peak), with the peak and the latest value written at the right. The top row counts statements. The strip covers every month of the KY 2025–26 session, the same span as the rates above, including months with no statements. A month with fewer than 10 statements is hatched, not shaded: one or two posts would swing its rate to 0% or 100%. 5 months are hatched here.

In Wise’s words

Real statements from the classifier’s example set, with the labels it assigned

Policy discussion

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Sep 26, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy discussion; Government Operations and Politics · Source

Bipartisanship

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Apr 23, 2025 · Posts on X (state legislators) · bipartisanship · Source

Policy criticism

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jun 30, 2025 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy criticism; policy discussion; credit claiming; Health; Government Operations and Politics · Source

Examples by category

Up to five recent statements in each category

Category

Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

No statements in this category in this window.

All 349 statements

Newest first, the KY 2025–26 session

The full feed

Five statements at a time, newest first; filters apply to the statements loaded so far. Export saves the statements that match. Sources: 349 posts on X.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

Education is what Wise talks about most: 27% of policy statements, 2.0 times the peer share. Peers give it 14%.

Each policy statement is tagged by the AI model with one or more of 25 policy areas from the Congressional Research Service list, so the shares say what Wise talks about. The bills Wise sponsors and cosponsors carry the same areas, so the two can be compared.

What Wise talks about

Share of policy statements by area, the KY 2025–26 session

0%35%
Wise
Peers
Education6 statements
27%
14%
Government Operations and Politics6 statements
27%
17%
Armed Forces and National Security5 statements
23%
6%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues4 statements
18%
5%
Agriculture and Food2 statements
9%
6%
Show the data
Policy areas Wise talks about, as a share of policy statements, against the State Senate Republicans average.
RowWisePeers
Education27%14%
Government Operations and Politics27%17%
Armed Forces and National Security23%6%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues18%5%
Agriculture and Food9%6%
How to read the bars

The thick bar is the share of Wise’s policy statements in an area; the thin grey bar is the average share for State Senate Republicans. A statement counts once in each of its areas, so shares can add to more than 100%. The five largest areas are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

Talks about · legislates on

Left: share of statements by policy area. Right: share of bills. Areas in order of their share of statements; both sides run from 0 to 35%. Grey ticks are the State Senate Republicans averages.

No sponsored or cosponsored bills with a policy area in this window.

What agreement means, and what it doesn’t

Agreement is 1 minus the distance between the two distributions (Jensen–Shannon): 1 means Wise legislates on exactly the areas Wise talks about, in the same proportions; 0 means no overlap. It does not say whether the bills match the positions in the statements, only the subjects. Bills Wise sponsored count fully, cosponsored bills a quarter. Shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Wise sits at +0.55 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more conservative than 78% of State Senate Republicans. Approximate range +0.49 to +0.61, which understates the uncertainty; from 162 donors and 474 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”.

+0.55

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range +0.49 to +0.61. From 162 donors and 474 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Wise +0.6State Senate Republicans +0.4Kentucky Senate +0.5All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Wise, 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 Wise’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 Wise sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State Senate Republicansmedian +0.4Wise +0.6Kentucky Senatemedian +0.5All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Wise's CSIP score of +0.55 placed against State Senate Republicans, Kentucky Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Wise
State Senate Republicans1083+0.478%
Kentucky Senate38+0.582%
All State Senate1909+0.187%
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 Wise 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 Wise.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Wise reported $221.6K in the 2026 cycle, 4.8 times the State Senate Republicans’ median of $46.2K. State filings report no small-donation total. 98% of itemized individual money came from Kentucky.

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
$221.6K

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 141 itemized donors. State Senate Republicans’ median $46.2K.

Where the money came from

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

Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)Individuals (itemized): $132.2K (59.7%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)PACs and other committees: $89.4K (40.3%)
  • Individuals (itemized)60 squares$132.2K
  • PACs and other committees40 squares$89.4K
Show the data
Sources of Wise's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$132.2K59.7%
PACs and other committees$89.4K40.3%
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, 2020 to 2026. The grey line is the State Senate Republicans’ median for 2026.

2020 cycle: $18.8K$18.8K20202022 cycle: $35.2K$35.2K20222024 cycle: $5,550$5,55020242026 cycle: $221.6K$221.6K2026State Senate Republicans median $46.2K
Show the data
Wise's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Republicans median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$18.8K
2022 cycle$35.2K
2024 cycle$5,550
2026 cycle$221.6K

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 98% came from Kentucky.

  1. Kentucky$129.5K
  2. Tennessee$1,500
  3. Pennsylvania$1,000
  4. Indiana$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: no dataNYRhode Island: no dataRIMassachusetts: no dataMAOregon: no dataORNevada: no dataNVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: no dataSDIowa: no dataIAIndiana: $250INOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: $1,000PANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: $129.5KKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: no dataVAMaryland: no dataMDDelaware: no dataDEArizona: no dataAZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: no dataKSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: $1,500TNNorth 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
Wise's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Kentucky$129.5K
Tennessee$1,500
Pennsylvania$1,000
Indiana$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
New YorkNo data
Rhode IslandNo data
MassachusettsNo data
OregonNo data
NevadaNo data
WyomingNo data
South DakotaNo data
IowaNo data
OhioNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
West VirginiaNo data
VirginiaNo data
MarylandNo data
DelawareNo data
ArizonaNo data
New MexicoNo data
KansasNo data
ArkansasNo 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
141

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

98%

from Kentucky

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 Kentucky. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

  1. OWNER$16.2K 13 donors
  2. CONSTRUCTION$11.3K 7 donors
  3. ATTORNEY$6,450 8 donors
  4. STATE SENATOR$5,200 3 donors
  5. CEO$5,150 4 donors

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. KY ASSOC OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES$4,500
  2. KENTUCKY HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION PAC$3,500
  3. CLARK PAC$3,000
  4. GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY$3,000
  5. BLUEGRASS COMMITTEE$2,200

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

  1. CLEARY CONSTRUCTION$14.5K 11 donors
  2. COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY$5,200 3 donors
  3. FARMER$3,500 6 donors
  4. BOYD CAT$750 3 donors

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Wise voted with the majority of Kentucky Senate Republicans on 98.8% of party-line votes and missed none of 803 roll calls. Kentucky Senate on average: 95.3% party unity, 97.0% attendance. Across all roll calls, Wise voted against the majority of Kentucky Senate Republicans 3 times.

803 roll calls Wise could vote on in the KY 2025–26 session, compared with Kentucky 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 Wise voted with the majority of Kentucky Senate Republicans. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

3

votes against the majority of Kentucky Senate Republicans

Party unity 98.8%, Kentucky Senate average 95.3%, ranks 11th of 38. 803 roll calls in the KY 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

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

80%100%
Wise
Peers
Rank
Attendance
100%
97.0%
2nd of 38
Party unity
98.8%
95.3%
11th of 38
Show the data
Wise's attendance and party unity against Kentucky Senate.
RowWisePeers
Attendance100%97.0%
Party unity98.8%95.3%
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 KY 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Apr 15, 2026
SB 66
AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle.
FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 66 w/ HCS 1
YeaWith majoritypassD 5–0 · R 31–0Democrats 5 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 31 yea, 0 naybecame law
Apr 15, 2026
HB 826
AN ACT relating to education.
CONSENT PASSAGE OF HB 826 w/ SCS 1, SCA 1 (T)
YeaWith majoritypassD 5–0 · R 33–0Democrats 5 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 33 yea, 0 naybecame law
Apr 15, 2026
SB 133
AN ACT relating to the fiscal reporting of local entities.
FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 133 w/ HFA 3
YeaWith majoritypassD 5–0 · R 32–0Democrats 5 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 32 yea, 0 naybecame law
Apr 15, 2026
SB 37
AN ACT relating to state symbols.
FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 37 w/ HFA 1, HFA 3, HFA 2 (T)
YeaWith majoritypassD 5–0 · R 31–1Democrats 5 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 31 yea, 1 naybecame law
Apr 15, 2026
SJR 116
A JOINT RESOLUTION directing the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University to coordinate a search for actionable solutions to physician shortages and to explore and expand health care opportunities in medically underserved areas in collaboration with commu
FINAL PASSAGE OF SJR 116 w/ HCS 1, HFA 1, HCA 1 (T)
YeaWith majoritypassD 5–0 · R 32–0Democrats 5 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 32 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 Wise most often

  1. Nick WilsonR435 shared votes100%
  2. Scott MadonR783 shared votes100%
  3. Robert StiversR763 shared votes100%
  4. Mike WilsonR347 shared votes100%
  5. Craig RichardsonR802 shared votes100%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Wise least often

  1. Walker ThomasR433 shared votes78%
  2. Gerald NealD754 shared votes79%
  3. Cassie ArmstrongD795 shared votes79%
  4. Gary ClemonsD426 shared votes79%
  5. Keturah HerronD796 shared votes79%
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

KY 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

No bills for the KY 2025–26 session.No sponsored or cosponsored bills are recorded for this official in this time window.

Back to topNext: Online

Online

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

The lab crawls Wise’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 Wise 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 Wise posted

No images from Wise’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 Wise is most unusual among State Senate 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
32b5035e-6d1a-44b8-9f7a-4173a1cdb940
Open States
ocd-person/32b5035e-6d1a-44b8-9f7a-4173a1cdb940

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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