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Democrat · Maine House, district 102

Serving since Dec 7, 2022ME 2025–26 session

Portrait of Melanie Sachs, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
96%
of sponsored bills got out of committee, in the top 5% of the Maine House

96% of 24 sponsored bills got out of committee; the average for the Maine House is 64%. Ranks 3rd of 96, where 1st is the highest share.

The share of bills Sachs sponsored that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, ranked within the Maine House. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position as well as effort.

At a glance

6 measures against the Maine House. Sachs reported $700 in the 2024 cycle, in the bottom quarter of State House Democrats (median $5,075). 100% of Sachs’s itemized money in the 2024 cycle came from Maine, in the top quarter of State House Democrats.

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

Out of committee

96%

Maine House average 64% · ranks 3rd of 96

Itemized, 2024

$700

State House Democrats’ median $5,075 · ranks 142nd of 163

From Maine, 2024

100%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 30th of 149 State House Democrats

Attendance

99.0%

Maine House average 94.9% · ranks 53rd of 149 · 804 roll calls

Party unity

97.5%

Maine House average 95.9% · ranks 67th of 149 · 29 votes against the majority of Maine House Democrats

CSIP ideology

−0.64

More liberal than 52% of State House Democrats · ± 0.06

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

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Sachs says

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

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Sachs sits at −0.64 on the CSIP scale, left of 0, more liberal than 52% of State House Democrats. Approximate range −0.70 to −0.58, which understates the uncertainty; from 21 donors and 877 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”.

−0.64

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range −0.70 to −0.58. From 21 donors and 877 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Sachs −0.6State House Democrats −0.6Maine House −0.3All State House +0.1

The outlined dot is Sachs, 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 Sachs’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 Sachs sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State House Democratsmedian −0.6Sachs −0.6Maine Housemedian −0.3All State Housemedian +0.1
Show the data
Sachs's CSIP score of −0.64 placed against State House Democrats, Maine House, All State House.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Sachs
State House Democrats2392−0.648%
Maine House152−0.327%
All State House5324+0.122%
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 Sachs 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 Sachs.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Sachs reported $700 in the 2024 cycle, 14% of the State House Democrats’ median of $5,075. State filings report no small-donation total. 100% of itemized individual money came from Maine.

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
$700

itemized in the 2024 cycle

From 7 itemized donors. State House Democrats’ median $5,075.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2024 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $700 (100.0%)
  • Individuals (itemized)100 squares$700
Show the data
Sources of Sachs's money, 2024 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$700100.0%
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 2024. The grey line is the State House Democrats’ median for 2024.

2020 cycle: $900$90020202022 cycle: $700$70020222024 cycle: $700$7002024State House Democrats median $5,075
Show the data
Sachs's receipts by cycle against the 2024 State House Democrats median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$900
2022 cycle$700
2024 cycle$700

Top donor states, 2024

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

  1. Maine$700

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: $700MEVermont: 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: 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
Sachs's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2024 cycle
StateValue
Maine$700
AlaskaNo 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
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
7

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

100%

from Maine

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

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2024 cycle.

  1. FOOD SERVICES$300 3 donors

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2024 cycle.

No committee contributions this cycle.

Top employers

Itemized, 2024 cycle.

  1. BOW STREET MARKET$300 3 donors

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Sachs voted with the majority of Maine House Democrats on 97.5% of party-line votes and missed 1.0% of 804 roll calls. Maine House on average: 95.9% party unity, 94.9% attendance. Across all roll calls, Sachs voted against the majority of Maine House Democrats 29 times.

804 roll calls Sachs could vote on in the ME 2025–26 session, compared with Maine 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 Sachs voted with the majority of Maine House Democrats. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

29

votes against the majority of Maine House Democrats

Party unity 97.5%, Maine House average 95.9%, ranks 67th of 149. 804 roll calls in the ME 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

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

80%100%
Sachs
Peers
Rank
Attendance
99.0%
94.9%
53rd of 149
Party unity
97.5%
95.9%
67th of 149
Show the data
Sachs's attendance and party unity against Maine House.
RowSachsPeers
Attendance99.0%94.9%
Party unity97.5%95.9%
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 ME 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Apr 29, 2026
LD 307
An Act Regarding Energy, Utilities And Technology
reconsideration-veto
YeaWith majorityfailD 64–6 · R 7–59 · I 1–0Democrats 64 yea, 6 nay; Republicans 7 yea, 59 nay; Independents 1 yea, 0 nayclose vote · party crossover
Apr 29, 2026
LD 307
An Act Regarding Energy, Utilities And Technology
Move the Previous Question
NayWith majorityfailD 11–57 · R 54–12 · I 0–1Democrats 11 yea, 57 nay; Republicans 54 yea, 12 nay; Independents 0 yea, 1 nayclose vote · party crossover
Apr 14, 2026
LD 555
An Act To Create A Separate Department Of Child And Family Services
Acc Maj Ought Not to Pass Rep
YeaWith majoritypassD 71–4 · R 2–67 · I 2–1Democrats 71 yea, 4 nay; Republicans 2 yea, 67 nay; Independents 2 yea, 1 nayclose vote
Apr 14, 2026
LD 299
An Act To Support Investment In Agriculture
Enactment - Bond Issue
YeaWith majorityfailD 74–1 · R 13–54 · I 3–0Democrats 74 yea, 1 nay; Republicans 13 yea, 54 nay; Independents 3 yea, 0 nayparty crossover
Apr 14, 2026
LD 127
An Act To Strengthen Legislative Oversight Of Government Agencies And Programs By Reaffirming The Legislature'S Access To Confidential Records
suspension of house rule 515
NayWith majorityfailD 6–69 · R 67–0 · I 1–2Democrats 6 yea, 69 nay; Republicans 67 yea, 0 nay; Independents 1 yea, 2 nayclose vote
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 Sachs most often

  1. Marc MalonD772 shared votes97%
  2. Lori GramlichD791 shared votes96%
  3. Lynn CopelandD725 shared votes96%
  4. Morgan RiellyD791 shared votes96%
  5. Julie McCabeD791 shared votes96%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Sachs least often

  1. Kim HagganR793 shared votes8.3%
  2. Marygrace CiminoR796 shared votes8.4%
  3. Reagan PaulR772 shared votes8.7%
  4. Barbara BagshawR793 shared votes8.7%
  5. Mike LanceR750 shared votes8.8%
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

ME 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Sachs sponsored 24 bills in the ME 2025–26 session; 17 became law. Cosponsored 41 others. 96% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Maine House average 64%; 3rd of 96).

The bills Sachs sponsored and cosponsored in the ME 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 ME 2025–26 session

Sponsored24 billsSponsored, Introduced: 2424Sponsored, In committee: 2424Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 2323Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 1919Sponsored, Became law: 1717Cosponsored41 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 4141Cosponsored, In committee: 4141Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 3333Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 3030Cosponsored, Became law: 1717IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Sachs sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored2424231917
Cosponsored4141333017
How to read the blocks

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

96%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Maine House average 64%. Ranks 3rd of 96.

Cosponsorship partners

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

  1. Michael Brennan15
  2. Lori Gramlich14
  3. Mark Lawrence13
  4. Gerry Runte12
  5. Holly Stover10
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 Sachs’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
HP 1522Joint Resolution Recognizing May 2026 As Mental Health Awareness MonthCosponsorApr 13, 2026Passed both chambersUnassignedREAD and ADOPTED, in concurrence. Apr 14, 2026
HP 1516Joint Resolution Recognizing April 2026 As Child Abuse Prevention MonthCosponsorApr 9, 2026Passed both chambersUnassignedREAD and ADOPTED, in concurrence. Apr 13, 2026
LD 2162An Act To Regulate And Prevent Children'S Access To Artificial Intelligence Chatbots With Human-Like Features And Social Artificial Intelligence CompanionsCosponsorApr 8, 2026Passed both chambersScience, Technology, Communications(model)Died in Possession of the Senate when the Legislature adjourned Sine Die and was PLACED IN THE LEGISLATIVE FILES. (DEAD) Apr 29, 2026
LD 2117Resolve, Directing The Department Of Health And Human Services To Amend Its Rule Chapter 101: Mainecare Benefits Manual, Chapter Ii, Section 21, Home And Community Benefits For Members With Intellectual Disabilities Or Autism Spectrum DisorderSponsorApr 7, 2026Passed one chamberHealth(model)Died in Possession of the Senate when the Legislature adjourned Sine Die and was PLACED IN THE LEGISLATIVE FILES. (DEAD) Apr 29, 2026
LD 2112An Act To Authorize Municipalities To Form Community Choice Aggregation Programs To Procure ElectricityCosponsorMar 30, 2026Became lawEnergy(model)Signed by Governor Apr 13, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that has not changed in 90 days. Sachs’s official site had 0 pages when last crawled.

The lab crawls Sachs’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 Sachs 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 Sachs posted

No images from Sachs’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

84 turns, Jun 2, 2021 to Mar 17, 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 Sachs is most unusual among Maine House, 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
efda26eb-c8f7-443c-a963-95419878a856
Open States
ocd-person/efda26eb-c8f7-443c-a963-95419878a856

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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