The median for State House Democrats is $40.4K. Ranks 16th of 2,082, where 1st raised the most. 420 itemized donors.
Itemized contributions reported to the state in the 2026 cycle, ranked among State House Democrats. 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 Democrats. 74% of the 42 bills Cole sponsored got out of committee, in the bottom quarter of the Virginia House. 78% of Cole’s itemized money in the 2026 cycle came from Virginia, in the bottom quarter of State House Democrats.
The measures on which Cole sits furthest from the middle of State House Democrats, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.
Itemized, 2026
State House Democrats’ median $40.4K · ranks 16th of 2,082
Out of committee
Virginia House average 84% · ranks 88th of 98
Party unity
Virginia House average 96.5% · ranks 20th of 98 · 8 votes against the majority of Virginia House Democrats
From Virginia, 2026
Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 1565th of 1,983 State House Democrats
CSIP ideology
More liberal than 76% of State House Democrats · ± 0.06
Attendance
Virginia House average 98.2% · ranks 65th of 98 · 2,056 roll calls
Peer group: State House Democrats. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Cole, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Cole is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).
What Cole says
No statements for the VA 2025–26 session.No classified statements (posts, press releases, newsletters, floor speeches) in this time window.
Policy
No policy statements for the VA 2025–26 session.No classified statements (posts, press releases, newsletters, floor speeches) in this time window.
Ideology
Cole sits at −0.81 on the CSIP scale, left of 0, more liberal than 76% of State House Democrats. Approximate range −0.88 to −0.75, which understates the uncertainty; from 437 donors and 173 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”.
CSIP ideal point
Approximate range −0.88 to −0.75. From 437 donors and 173 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.
The outlined dot is Cole, 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 Cole’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 Cole sits
Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale
Show the data
| Group | Officials | Median | Share left of Cole |
|---|---|---|---|
| State House Democrats | 2392 | −0.6 | 24% |
| Virginia House | 99 | −0.7 | 32% |
| All State House | 5324 | +0.1 | 11% |
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 Cole 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 Cole.
Money
Cole reported $2.4M in the 2026 cycle, 59.2 times the State House Democrats’ median of $40.4K. State filings report no small-donation total. 78% of itemized individual money came from 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.
itemized in the 2026 cycle
From 420 itemized donors. State House Democrats’ median $40.4K.
Where the money came from
Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle.
- Individuals (itemized)16 squares$371.9K
- PACs and other committees10 squares$241.7K
- Party committees74 squares$1.8M
Show the data
| Source | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals (itemized) | $371.9K | 15.6% |
| PACs and other committees | $241.7K | 10.1% |
| Party committees | $1.8M | 74.3% |
What this means, and what it doesn’t
Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.
Receipts by cycle
Itemized contributions, 2024 to 2026. The grey line is the State House Democrats’ median for 2026.
Show the data
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2024 cycle | $25.1K |
| 2026 cycle | $2.4M |
Top donor states, 2026
Itemized contributions by donor state. 78% came from Virginia.
- Virginia$288.8K
- California$15.1K
- Florida$13.1K
- Maryland$11.3K
- District of Columbia$6,365
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
Show the data
| State | Value |
|---|---|
| Virginia | $288.8K |
| California | $15.1K |
| Florida | $13.1K |
| Maryland | $11.3K |
| District of Columbia | $6,365 |
| New York | $5,725 |
| Texas | $5,250 |
| Mississippi | $5,000 |
| Massachusetts | $3,948 |
| Illinois | $2,950 |
| Georgia | $2,800 |
| Pennsylvania | $2,317 |
| North Carolina | $2,293 |
| Michigan | $2,000 |
| Indiana | $1,500 |
| New Jersey | $839 |
| Colorado | $600 |
| Alabama | $500 |
| Ohio | $400 |
| Delaware | $250 |
| Arizona | $220 |
| Connecticut | $200 |
| Arkansas | $200 |
| Kentucky | $117 |
| Washington | $50 |
| Alaska | No data |
| Maine | No data |
| Vermont | No data |
| New Hampshire | No data |
| Idaho | No data |
| Montana | No data |
| North Dakota | No data |
| Minnesota | No data |
| Wisconsin | No data |
| Rhode Island | No data |
| Oregon | No data |
| Nevada | No data |
| Wyoming | No data |
| South Dakota | No data |
| Iowa | No data |
| Utah | No data |
| Nebraska | No data |
| Missouri | No data |
| West Virginia | No data |
| New Mexico | No data |
| Kansas | No data |
| Tennessee | No data |
| South Carolina | No data |
| Oklahoma | No data |
| Louisiana | No data |
| Hawaii | No data |
itemized donors
People who gave more than $200
from 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 Virginia. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.
Top donor occupations
Itemized, 2026 cycle.
- NOT EMPLOYED$231.7K 123 donors
- RETIRED$17.1K 47 donors
- ATTORNEY$13.8K 27 donors
- NO EMPLOYER$10.6K 5 donors
- CEO$5,210 8 donors
Top committees
PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.
- VIRGINIA HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS$1.6M
- DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF VIRGINIA$224.9K
- WFP NATIONAL PAC$42.8K
- VIRGINIA LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS$35.0K
- VOTEPROCHOICE PAC$25.1K
Top employers
Itemized, 2026 cycle.
- NO EMPLOYER$10.6K 5 donors
- PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY$5,500 3 donors
Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.
Votes
Cole voted with the majority of Virginia House Democrats on 99.6% of party-line votes and missed 1.5% of 2,056 roll calls. Virginia House on average: 96.5% party unity, 98.2% attendance. Across all roll calls, Cole voted against the majority of Virginia House Democrats 8 times.
2,056 roll calls Cole could vote on in the VA 2025–26 session, compared with 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 Cole voted with the majority of Virginia House Democrats. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.
votes against the majority of Virginia House Democrats
Party unity 99.6%, Virginia House average 96.5%, ranks 20th of 98. 2,056 roll calls in the VA 2025–26 session.
Attendance and party unity
The thick bar is Cole, the thin grey bar the Virginia House average. The scale runs from 80% to 100% to show the gap.
Show the data
| Row | Cole | Peers |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance | 98.5% | 98.2% |
| Party unity | 99.6% | 96.5% |
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
Roll calls the lab flags as key
No votes in this window met the key-vote rules.
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 Cole most often
- Stacey CarrollD1,861 shared votes100%
- Virgil ThorntonD2,024 shared votes100%
- Rod WillettD2,004 shared votes100%
- Don ScottD2,024 shared votes100%
- Leslie MehtaD2,021 shared votes100%
Votes least often with
The colleagues who voted the same way as Cole least often
- Tim GriffinR1,890 shared votes48%
- Phil ScottR1,971 shared votes49%
- Karen HamiltonR1,989 shared votes51%
- Eric ZehrR2,003 shared votes52%
- Tom GarrettR1,817 shared votes53%
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
VA 2025–26 session, loads in batches
Legislation
Cole sponsored 42 bills in the VA 2025–26 session; 2 became law. Cosponsored 271 others. 74% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Virginia House average 84%; 88th of 98).
The bills Cole sponsored and cosponsored in the VA 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 VA 2025–26 session
Show the data
| Role | Introduced | In committee | Passed one chamber | Passed both chambers | Became law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored | 42 | 41 | 24 | 4 | 2 |
| Cosponsored | 271 | 267 | 226 | 99 | 69 |
How to read the blocks
Ink blocks are bills Cole sponsored, ochre blocks bills Cole cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.
of sponsored bills got out of committee
Virginia House average 84%. Ranks 88th of 98.
Cosponsorship partners
Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Cole, by number of shared bills in the VA 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.
- Nadarius Clark106
- Josh Cole97
- Sam Rasoul90
- Karen Keys-Gamarra89
- Rae Cousins64
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 Cole’s bills; the toggle shows more.
Bill list
Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest
| HR 2187 | Commending the Greater Fredericksburg Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. | Sponsor | Jun 22, 2026 | Passed one chamber | Unassigned | Bill text as passed House (HR2187ER) Jun 30, 2026 |
| HR 2190 | Celebrating the life of Stephanie Danielle Myers. | Cosponsor | Jun 22, 2026 | Passed one chamber | Unassigned | Bill text as passed House (HR2190ER) Jun 30, 2026 |
| HR 2179 | Commending Grady James, Ph.D. | Cosponsor | Jun 22, 2026 | Passed one chamber | Unassigned | Bill text as passed House (HR2179ER) Jun 30, 2026 |
| HR 2164 | Commending the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. | Cosponsor | Jun 21, 2026 | Passed one chamber | Unassigned | Bill text as passed House (HR2164ER) Jun 30, 2026 |
| HR 2172 | Celebrating the life of Dawann Anthony Steagall, Jr. | Cosponsor | Jun 21, 2026 | Passed one chamber | Unassigned | Bill text as passed House (HR2172ER) Jun 30, 2026 |
Online
The lab crawls Cole’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 Cole posts with a vision model.
Websites
No websites are tracked for this official.
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.
Social accounts
No social accounts on file.
Images Cole posted
No images from Cole’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
23 turns, Jan 26, 2026 to Apr 22, 2026
Floor speeches
Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.
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 Cole is most unusual among State House Democrats, 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
- f09abfed-0fb2-4ef3-966c-4cc0246b701d
- Open States
- ocd-person/f09abfed-0fb2-4ef3-966c-4cc0246b701d
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