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Republican · Colorado Senate, district 6

Serving since Jan 9, 2023CO 2025–26 session

Portrait of Cleave Simpson, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
115
votes against the majority of Colorado Senate Republicans

Party unity 77%, the lowest of 35 in the Colorado Senate (average 94.2%). 1,666 roll calls in the CO 2025–26 session.

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 Simpson voted with the majority of Colorado Senate Republicans; it is ranked within the Colorado Senate. The count covers every roll call where Simpson voted opposite that majority.

At a glance

6 measures against the Colorado Senate. Simpson sits at +0.01 on the CSIP scale, more liberal than 92% of State Senate Republicans. 67% of Simpson’s itemized money in the 2026 cycle came from Colorado, in the bottom quarter of State Senate Republicans.

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

Party unity

77%

Colorado Senate average 94.2% · ranks 35th of 35 · 115 votes against the majority of Colorado Senate Republicans

CSIP ideology

+0.01

More liberal than 92% of State Senate Republicans · ± 0.02

From Colorado, 2026

67%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 756th of 860 State Senate Republicans

Itemized, 2026

$8,550

State Senate Republicans’ median $46.2K · ranks 768th of 936

Out of committee

97%

Colorado Senate average 94% · ranks 12th of 35

Attendance

98.8%

Colorado Senate average 97.2% · ranks 17th of 35 · 1,666 roll calls

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

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Simpson says

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

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Simpson sits at +0.01 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more liberal than 92% of State Senate Republicans. Approximate range −0.01 to +0.03, which understates the uncertainty; from 430 donors and 868 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”.

+0.01

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range −0.01 to +0.03. From 430 donors and 868 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Simpson 0.0State Senate Republicans +0.4Colorado Senate −0.7All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Simpson, 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 Simpson’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 Simpson 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 +0.4Simpson 0.0Colorado Senatemedian −0.7All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Simpson's CSIP score of +0.01 placed against State Senate Republicans, Colorado Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Simpson
State Senate Republicans1083+0.48%
Colorado Senate35−0.766%
All State Senate1909+0.147%
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 Simpson 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 Simpson.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Simpson reported $8,550 in the 2026 cycle, 18% of the State Senate Republicans’ median of $46.2K. State filings report no small-donation total. 67% of itemized individual money came from Colorado.

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
$8,550

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 10 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): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)Individuals (itemized): $4,100 (48.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)PACs and other committees: $4,450 (52.0%)
  • Individuals (itemized)48 squares$4,100
  • PACs and other committees52 squares$4,450
Show the data
Sources of Simpson's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$4,10048.0%
PACs and other committees$4,45052.0%
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 Senate Republicans’ median for 2026.

2020 cycle: $102.9K$102.9K20202022 cycle: $8,900$8,90020222024 cycle: $143.4K$143.4K20242026 cycle: $8,550$8,5502026State Senate Republicans median $46.2K
Show the data
Simpson's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Republicans median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$102.9K
2022 cycle$8,900
2024 cycle$143.4K
2026 cycle$8,550

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 67% came from Colorado.

  1. Colorado$2,750
  2. North Carolina$450
  3. Pennsylvania$450
  4. Louisiana$450

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: $450PANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: $2,750CONebraska: 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: $450NCSouth Carolina: no dataSCDistrict of Columbia: no dataDCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: $450LAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: no dataGAHawaii: no dataHITexas: no dataTXFlorida: no dataFL
Show the data
Simpson's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Colorado$2,750
Pennsylvania$450
North Carolina$450
Louisiana$450
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
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo 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
South CarolinaNo data
District of ColumbiaNo data
OklahomaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
GeorgiaNo data
HawaiiNo data
TexasNo data
FloridaNo data
10

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

67%

from Colorado

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

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

  1. FINANCIAL/INVESTMENT$1,800 4 donors

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. APARTMENT ASSOCIATION OF METRO DENVER SMALL DONOR COMMITTEE$3,100
  2. APARTMENT ASSOCIATION OF METRO DENVER POLITICAL COMMITTEE$450
  3. DELOITTE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$450
  4. ONEOK INC. EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$450

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Simpson voted with the majority of Colorado Senate Republicans on 77% of party-line votes and missed 1.1% of 1,666 roll calls. Colorado Senate on average: 94.2% party unity, 97.2% attendance. Across all roll calls, Simpson voted against the majority of Colorado Senate Republicans 115 times.

1,666 roll calls Simpson could vote on in the CO 2025–26 session, compared with Colorado 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 Simpson voted with the majority of Colorado Senate Republicans. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

115

votes against the majority of Colorado Senate Republicans

Party unity 77%, Colorado Senate average 94.2%, ranks 35th of 35. 1,666 roll calls in the CO 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Simpson, the thin grey bar the Colorado Senate average. The scale runs from 70% to 100% to show the gap.

70%100%
Simpson
Peers
Rank
Attendance
98.8%
97.2%
17th of 35
Party unity
77%
94.2%
35th of 35
Show the data
Simpson's attendance and party unity against Colorado Senate.
RowSimpsonPeers
Attendance98.8%97.2%
Party unity77%94.2%
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 CO 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
May 13, 2026
SB 187
Establishing Commission on Medicaid
CONCUR
YeaWith majoritypassD 23–0 · R 12–0Democrats 23 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 12 yea, 0 naybecame law
May 13, 2026
HB 1425
Applied Behavior Analysis Services
BILL
YeaWith majoritypassD 23–0 · R 9–3Democrats 23 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 9 yea, 3 naybecame law · party crossover
May 13, 2026
SB 42
Revenue Classification Taxpayers Bill of Rights
REPASS
NayWith majoritypassD 23–0 · R 0–12Democrats 23 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 0 yea, 12 naybecame law
May 13, 2026
HB 1141
Discriminatory Practices in Public Schools
BILL
NayWith majoritypassD 23–0 · R 0–12Democrats 23 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 0 yea, 12 naybecame law
May 13, 2026
SB 78
Changes to Institutions of Higher Education Statutes
CONCUR
YeaWith majoritypassD 23–0 · R 12–0Democrats 23 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 12 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 Simpson most often

  1. Marc CatlinR1,587 shared votes95%
  2. Paul LundeenR904 shared votes93%
  3. Barbara KirkmeyerR1,629 shared votes93%
  4. Scott BrightR1,647 shared votes93%
  5. Lisa FrizellR1,508 shared votes92%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Simpson least often

  1. Lynda Zamora WilsonR734 shared votes67%
  2. Tom SullivanD1,620 shared votes74%
  3. Faith WinterD889 shared votes74%
  4. Mark BaisleyR1,621 shared votes75%
  5. Julie GonzalesD1,603 shared votes76%
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

CO 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Simpson sponsored 77 bills in the CO 2025–26 session; 52 became law. Cosponsored 172 others. 97% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Colorado Senate average 94%; 12th of 35).

The bills Simpson sponsored and cosponsored in the CO 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 CO 2025–26 session

Sponsored77 billsSponsored, Introduced: 7777Sponsored, In committee: 7676Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 7373Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 6464Sponsored, Became law: 5252Cosponsored172 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 172172Cosponsored, In committee: 166166Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 166166Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 145145Cosponsored, Became law: 8282IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Simpson sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored7776736452
Cosponsored17216616614582
How to read the blocks

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

97%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Colorado Senate average 94%. Ranks 12th of 35.

Cosponsorship partners

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

  1. James Coleman28
  2. Julie McCluskie27
  3. Monica Duran26
  4. Barbara Kirkmeyer23
  5. Byron Pelton20
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 Simpson’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
SJR 26Adjourn Sine DieSponsorMay 12, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedIntroduced In House - Assigned to May 20, 2026
HJR 1032Notify Governor of AdjournmentSponsorMay 12, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedSenate Third Reading Lay on the Table-Deemed Lost - No Amendments May 22, 2026
SB 187Establishing Commission on MedicaidCosponsorMay 1, 2026Became lawHealth(model)Governor Signed May 29, 2026
HJR 10312027 Session Convening Date & DeadlinesCosponsorMay 1, 2026Passed both chambersUnassignedSigned by the Speaker of the House Jun 3, 2026
SR 9Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness MonthSponsorMay 1, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedSenate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments May 7, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that has not changed in 90 days. Simpson’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Aug 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Simpson’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 Simpson 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 Simpson posted

No images from Simpson’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

117 turns, Feb 1, 2023 to Mar 24, 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 Simpson is most unusual among Colorado Senate, 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
715df6f2-cef6-4b88-b745-0207c8ffb4ff
Open States
ocd-person/715df6f2-cef6-4b88-b745-0207c8ffb4ff

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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