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Republican · West Virginia House, district 86

Serving since Dec 1, 2020WV 2025–26 session

Portrait of Bryan Ward, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
$500
in itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle, in the bottom 5% of State House Republicans

The median for State House Republicans is $33.7K. Ranks 2477th 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

6 measures against State House Republicans. 100% of Ward’s itemized money in the 2026 cycle came from West Virginia, in the top quarter of State House Republicans. Ward sits at +0.52 on the CSIP scale, more conservative than 76% of State House Republicans.

The measures on which Ward 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

$500

State House Republicans’ median $33.7K · ranks 2477th of 2,521

From West Virginia, 2026

100%

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

CSIP ideology

+0.52

More conservative than 76% of State House Republicans · ± 0.08

Attendance

94.2%

West Virginia House average 95.6% · ranks 72nd of 96 · 1,389 roll calls

Party unity

84%

West Virginia House average 86% · ranks 70th of 96 · 136 votes against the majority of West Virginia House Republicans

Out of committee

27%

West Virginia House average 22% · ranks 24th of 84

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

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Ward says

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

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Ward sits at +0.52 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more conservative than 76% of State House Republicans. Approximate range +0.44 to +0.60, which understates the uncertainty; from 14 donors and 567 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”.

+0.52

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range +0.44 to +0.60. From 14 donors and 567 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Ward +0.5State House Republicans +0.4West Virginia House +0.3All State House +0.1

The outlined dot is Ward, 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 Ward’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 Ward 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 +0.4Ward +0.5West Virginia Housemedian +0.3All State Housemedian +0.1
Show the data
Ward's CSIP score of +0.52 placed against State House Republicans, West Virginia House, All State House.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Ward
State House Republicans2917+0.476%
West Virginia House97+0.393%
All State House5324+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 Ward 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 Ward.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Ward reported $500 in the 2026 cycle, 1.5% of the State House Republicans’ median of $33.7K. State filings report no small-donation total. 100% of itemized individual money came from West 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
$500

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): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $500 (100.0%)
  • Individuals (itemized)100 squares$500
Show the data
Sources of Ward's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$500100.0%
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 House Republicans’ median for 2026.

2020 cycle: $11.5K$11.5K20202022 cycle: $4,929$4,92920222024 cycle: $1,750$1,75020242026 cycle: $500$5002026State House Republicans median $33.7K
Show the data
Ward's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State House Republicans median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$11.5K
2022 cycle$4,929
2024 cycle$1,750
2026 cycle$500

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 100% came from West Virginia.

  1. West Virginia$500

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: no dataINOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: no dataPANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: $500WVVirginia: 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
Ward's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
West Virginia$500
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
IndianaNo data
OhioNo data
PennsylvaniaNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo 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 West 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 West 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.

No committee contributions this cycle.

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Ward voted with the majority of West Virginia House Republicans on 84% of party-line votes and missed 5.8% of 1,389 roll calls. West Virginia House on average: 86% party unity, 95.6% attendance. Across all roll calls, Ward voted against the majority of West Virginia House Republicans 136 times.

1,389 roll calls Ward could vote on in the WV 2025–26 session, compared with West Virginia 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 Ward voted with the majority of West Virginia House Republicans. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

136

votes against the majority of West Virginia House Republicans

Party unity 84%, West Virginia House average 86%, ranks 70th of 96. 1,389 roll calls in the WV 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

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

80%100%
Ward
Peers
Rank
Attendance
94.2%
95.6%
72nd of 96
Party unity
84%
86%
70th of 96
Show the data
Ward's attendance and party unity against West Virginia House.
RowWardPeers
Attendance94.2%95.6%
Party unity84%86%
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 WV 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Mar 14, 2026
SB 952
Transferring Court Security Fund
PASSAGE
Did not vote—passD 9–0 · R 85–0Democrats 9 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 85 yea, 0 naybecame law
Mar 14, 2026
HB 4538
Regarding fines in DOH work zones
PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB
YeaWith majoritypassD 9–0 · R 88–0Democrats 9 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 88 yea, 0 naybecame law
Mar 14, 2026
HB 5462
Relating to Mine Subsidence
PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB
YeaWith majoritypassD 0–9 · R 86–2Democrats 0 yea, 9 nay; Republicans 86 yea, 2 naybecame law
Mar 14, 2026
HB 5441
Reforming State Personnel System
EFFECT Jul 01, 2026
NayAgainst majoritypassD 3–6 · R 71–17Democrats 3 yea, 6 nay; Republicans 71 yea, 17 naybecame law · party crossover
Mar 14, 2026
HB 5381
Relating to developing a comprehensive energy development policy and plan for the Office of Energy
PREVIOUS QUESTION
NayAgainst majoritypassD 9–0 · R 47–34Democrats 9 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 47 yea, 34 naybecame law · party crossover
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 Ward most often

  1. Elías Coop-GonzálezR1,295 shared votes95%
  2. Tresa HowellR1,308 shared votes94%
  3. Eric BrooksR1,309 shared votes93%
  4. Jim ButlerR1,306 shared votes93%
  5. Lisa WhiteR1,291 shared votes93%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Ward least often

  1. Mike PushkinD1,301 shared votes76%
  2. Hollis LewisD1,292 shared votes76%
  3. Evan HansenD1,303 shared votes76%
  4. Kayla YoungD1,279 shared votes76%
  5. Anitra HamiltonD1,304 shared votes77%
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

WV 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Ward sponsored 11 bills in the WV 2025–26 session; none became law. Cosponsored 108 others. 27% of sponsored bills got out of committee (West Virginia House average 22%; 24th of 84).

The bills Ward sponsored and cosponsored in the WV 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 WV 2025–26 session

Sponsored11 billsSponsored, Introduced: 1111Sponsored, In committee: 1111Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 33Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 33Sponsored, Became law: 00Cosponsored108 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 108108Cosponsored, In committee: 108108Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 2626Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 1414Cosponsored, Became law: 1010IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Ward sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored1111330
Cosponsored108108261410
How to read the blocks

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

27%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

West Virginia House average 22%. Ranks 24th of 84.

Cosponsorship partners

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

  1. Bill Ridenour51
  2. Rick Hillenbrand44
  3. Buck Jennings40
  4. Phil Mallow35
  5. Jim Butler34
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 Ward’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
HB 5500To make allowances for bio-degradable farm/field products to escape the transport vehicle so to avoid potential finesSponsorFeb 13, 2026In committeeAgriculture and Food(model)To House Government Organization Feb 13, 2026
HB 4839Relating to compensation for sworn members of the WV State PoliceCosponsorJan 27, 2026In committeeLabor and Employment(model)To House Government Organization Jan 27, 2026
HB 4845Prohibiting entry by illegal aliensCosponsorJan 27, 2026In committeeImmigration(model)To House Judiciary Jan 27, 2026
HJR 26Change the Sheriff term limits from 2 consecutive terms to 3 consecutive termsCosponsorJan 27, 2026In committeeGovernment Operations and Politics(model)To House Judiciary Jan 27, 2026
HB 4837Establish time limits on Legislators becoming lobbyistsCosponsorJan 26, 2026In committeeGovernment Operations and Politics(model)To House Judiciary Jan 26, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

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

The lab crawls Ward’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 Ward 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 Ward posted

No images from Ward’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 Ward 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
6e588e9a-4d48-444d-92b4-629e00900440
Open States
ocd-person/6e588e9a-4d48-444d-92b4-629e00900440

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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