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Republican · Iowa House, district 56

Serving since Jan 1, 2023IA 2025–26 session

Portrait of Mark Thompson, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
$5,125
in itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle, in the bottom quarter of State House Republicans

The median for State House Republicans is $33.7K. Ranks 2176th of 2,521, where 1st raised the most. 12 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 Thompson’s itemized money in the 2026 cycle came from Iowa, in the top quarter of State House Republicans. Thompson sits at +0.55 on the CSIP scale, more conservative than 81% of State House Republicans.

The measures on which Thompson 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

$5,125

State House Republicans’ median $33.7K · ranks 2176th of 2,521

From Iowa, 2026

100%

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

CSIP ideology

+0.55

More conservative than 81% of State House Republicans · ± 0.07

Attendance

99.6%

Iowa House average 91.8% · ranks 19th of 98 · 822 roll calls

Out of committee

7.0%

Iowa House average 13% · ranks 67th of 98

Party unity

96.8%

Iowa House average 96.0% · ranks 58th of 98 · 22 votes against the majority of Iowa House Republicans

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

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Thompson says

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

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Thompson sits at +0.55 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more conservative than 81% of State House Republicans. Approximate range +0.48 to +0.62, which understates the uncertainty; from 183 donors and 598 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 +0.48 to +0.62. From 183 donors and 598 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Thompson +0.5State House Republicans +0.4Iowa House +0.4All State House +0.1

The outlined dot is Thompson, 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 Thompson’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 Thompson 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 +0.4Thompson +0.5Iowa Housemedian +0.4All State Housemedian +0.1
Show the data
Thompson's CSIP score of +0.55 placed against State House Republicans, Iowa House, All State House.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Thompson
State House Republicans2917+0.481%
Iowa House99+0.457%
All State House5324+0.189%
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 Thompson 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 Thompson.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Thompson reported $5,125 in the 2026 cycle, 15% of the State House Republicans’ median of $33.7K. State filings report no small-donation total. 100% of itemized individual money came from Iowa.

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
$5,125

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 12 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): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Individuals (itemized): $4,125 (80.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)Party committees: $1,000 (19.5%)
  • Individuals (itemized)80 squares$4,125
  • Party committees20 squares$1,000
Show the data
Sources of Thompson's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$4,12580.5%
Party committees$1,00019.5%
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, 2022 to 2026. The grey line is the State House Republicans’ median for 2026.

2022 cycle: $26.7K$26.7K20222024 cycle: $18.3K$18.3K20242026 cycle: $5,125$5,1252026State House Republicans median $33.7K
Show the data
Thompson's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State House Republicans median.
ItemValue
2022 cycle$26.7K
2024 cycle$18.3K
2026 cycle$5,125

Top donor states, 2026

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

  1. Iowa$4,125

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: $4,125IAIndiana: no dataINOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: no dataPANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: no dataVAMaryland: no dataMDDelaware: no dataDEArizona: no dataAZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: no dataKSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: no dataTNNorth Carolina: no dataNCSouth Carolina: no dataSCDistrict of Columbia: no dataDCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: no dataLAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: no dataGAHawaii: no dataHITexas: no dataTXFlorida: no dataFL
Show the data
Thompson's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Iowa$4,125
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
IndianaNo data
OhioNo data
PennsylvaniaNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo data
West VirginiaNo data
VirginiaNo data
MarylandNo data
DelawareNo data
ArizonaNo data
New MexicoNo data
KansasNo data
ArkansasNo data
TennesseeNo data
North CarolinaNo data
South CarolinaNo data
District of ColumbiaNo data
OklahomaNo data
LouisianaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
GeorgiaNo data
HawaiiNo data
TexasNo data
FloridaNo data
12

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

100%

from Iowa

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

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No occupations reported.

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. WRIGHT COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE$1,000

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Thompson voted with the majority of Iowa House Republicans on 96.8% of party-line votes and missed 0.4% of 822 roll calls. Iowa House on average: 96.0% party unity, 91.8% attendance. Across all roll calls, Thompson voted against the majority of Iowa House Republicans 22 times.

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

22

votes against the majority of Iowa House Republicans

Party unity 96.8%, Iowa House average 96.0%, ranks 58th of 98. 822 roll calls in the IA 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

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

80%100%
Thompson
Peers
Rank
Attendance
99.6%
91.8%
19th of 98
Party unity
96.8%
96.0%
58th of 98
Show the data
Thompson's attendance and party unity against Iowa House.
RowThompsonPeers
Attendance99.6%91.8%
Party unity96.8%96.0%
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 IA 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Oct 2, 2026
HF 2801
A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and including effective date provisions.
Shall the bill pass?
YeaWith majoritypassD 16–15 · R 59–2Democrats 16 yea, 15 nay; Republicans 59 yea, 2 naybecame law · party crossover
May 2, 2026
SF 639
A bill for an act creating a specialty business court, and including effective date provisions.
Shall amendment H-8456 be adopted?
NayWith majorityfailD 0–27 · R 8–50Democrats 0 yea, 27 nay; Republicans 8 yea, 50 naybecame law · party crossover
May 2, 2026
HF 2770
A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the justice system, providing fees, and including applicability provisions.
Shall amendment H-8451, to amendment H-8414, be adopted?
YeaWith majoritypassD 27–0 · R 55–3Democrats 27 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 55 yea, 3 naybecame law
May 2, 2026
SF 2480
A bill for an act relating to the taxation and regulation of alternative nicotine products and vapor products, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions.
Shall the bill pass?
YeaWith majoritypassD 14–13 · R 53–5Democrats 14 yea, 13 nay; Republicans 53 yea, 5 naybecame law · party crossover
May 2, 2026
SF 2465
A bill for an act relating to agriculture, including by providing for the powers and duties of the department of agriculture and land stewardship, including the promotion and regulation of commodities and products, the regulation of the transportation of agricultural items, the use of agricultural l
Shall the bill pass?
YeaWith majoritypassD 22–3 · R 59–1Democrats 22 yea, 3 nay; Republicans 59 yea, 1 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 Thompson most often

  1. Derek WulfR713 shared votes98%
  2. Wendy LarsonR427 shared votes98%
  3. Craig JohnsonR818 shared votes98%
  4. Barb Kniff McCullaR772 shared votes98%
  5. Mike VondranR807 shared votes98%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Thompson least often

  1. Angel RamirezD469 shared votes53%
  2. Elinor LevinD778 shared votes55%
  3. Dave JacobyD735 shared votes55%
  4. Mary MadisonD724 shared votes57%
  5. Beth Wessel-KroeschellD782 shared votes57%
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

IA 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Thompson sponsored 43 bills in the IA 2025–26 session; none became law. Cosponsored 0 others. 7.0% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Iowa House average 13%; 67th of 98).

The bills Thompson sponsored and cosponsored in the IA 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 IA 2025–26 session

Sponsored43 billsSponsored, Introduced: 4343Sponsored, In committee: 4242Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 33Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Sponsored, Became law: 00Cosponsored0 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 00Cosponsored, In committee: 00Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 00Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Cosponsored, Became law: 00IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Thompson sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored4342300
Cosponsored00000
How to read the blocks

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

7.0%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Iowa House average 13%. Ranks 67th of 98.

Cosponsorship partners

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

  1. Cindy Golding24
  2. Tom Gerhold22
  3. Samantha Fett19
  4. Jeff Shipley18
  5. Eddie Andrews17
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 Thompson’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
HR 114A resolution honoring the Iowans who were killed in or survived the attack on the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945.SponsorApr 1, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedResolution adopted. Apr 8, 2026
HF 2554A bill for an act relating to the application of foreign law and limiting changes in venue of civil actions, and including applicability provisions.SponsorFeb 16, 2026In committeeLaw(model)Withdrawn. Mar 9, 2026
HF 2332A bill for an act relating to elective abortion and feticide, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.SponsorFeb 6, 2026In committeeCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues(model)Subcommittee Meeting: 02/17/2026 8:30AM RM 103 (Cancelled). Feb 16, 2026
HF 2284A bill for an act relating to wind turbine inspections, and providing penalties.SponsorFeb 5, 2026In committeeEnergy(model)Subcommittee recommends passage. Feb 11, 2026
HF 2209A bill for an act providing for the admission of students to the Iowa state university of science and technology college of veterinary medicine.SponsorJan 29, 2026In committeeEducation(model)Sponsor withdrawn, Jones. Apr 1, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

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

The lab crawls Thompson’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 Thompson 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 Thompson posted

No images from Thompson’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

16 turns, Jan 26, 2026 to May 2, 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 Thompson 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
967868e2-3ec5-425f-bc96-f41208809217
Open States
ocd-person/967868e2-3ec5-425f-bc96-f41208809217

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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