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Republican · Maine Senate, district 5

Serving since Dec 7, 2022ME 2025–26 session

Portrait of Russell Black, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
$1,000
in itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle, in the bottom 5% of State Senate Republicans

The median for State Senate Republicans is $46.2K. Ranks 908th of 936, where 1st raised the most. 10 itemized donors.

Itemized contributions reported to the state in the 2026 cycle, ranked among State Senate 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 Senate Republicans. 100% of Black’s itemized money in the 2026 cycle came from Maine, in the top quarter of State Senate Republicans. 83% of the 18 bills Black sponsored got out of committee, in the top quarter of the Maine Senate.

The measures on which Black sits furthest from the middle of State Senate 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

$1,000

State Senate Republicans’ median $46.2K · ranks 908th of 936

From Maine, 2026

100%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 136th of 860 State Senate Republicans

Out of committee

83%

Maine Senate average 69% · ranks 6th of 33

Attendance

92.4%

Maine Senate average 95.2% · ranks 28th of 35 · 771 roll calls

Party unity

95.2%

Maine Senate average 93.5% · ranks 22nd of 35 · 35 votes against the majority of Maine Senate Republicans

CSIP ideology

+0.43

More conservative than 60% of State Senate Republicans · ± 0.04

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

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Black 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

Black sits at +0.43 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more conservative than 60% of State Senate Republicans. Approximate range +0.38 to +0.47, which understates the uncertainty; from 66 donors and 1,075 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”.

+0.43

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range +0.38 to +0.47. From 66 donors and 1,075 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Black +0.4State Senate Republicans +0.4Maine Senate −0.5All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Black, 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 Black’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 Black 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 +0.4Black +0.4Maine Senatemedian −0.5All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Black's CSIP score of +0.43 placed against State Senate Republicans, Maine Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Black
State Senate Republicans1083+0.460%
Maine Senate35−0.577%
All State Senate1909+0.177%
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 Black 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 Black.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Black reported $1,000 in the 2026 cycle, 2.2% of the State Senate Republicans’ median of $46.2K. 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
$1,000

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): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)Individuals (itemized): $1,000 (100.0%)
  • Individuals (itemized)100 squares$1,000
Show the data
Sources of Black's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$1,000100.0%
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: $2,485$2,48520202022 cycle: $3,000$3,00020222024 cycle: $1,650$1,65020242026 cycle: $1,000$1,0002026State Senate Republicans median $46.2K
Show the data
Black's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Republicans median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$2,485
2022 cycle$3,000
2024 cycle$1,650
2026 cycle$1,000

Top donor states, 2026

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

  1. Maine$1,000

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: $1,000MEVermont: 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
Black's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Maine$1,000
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
10

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, 2026 cycle.

No occupations reported.

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

No committee contributions this cycle.

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Black voted with the majority of Maine Senate Republicans on 95.2% of party-line votes and missed 7.5% of 771 roll calls. Maine Senate on average: 93.5% party unity, 95.2% attendance. Across all roll calls, Black voted against the majority of Maine Senate Republicans 35 times.

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

35

votes against the majority of Maine Senate Republicans

Party unity 95.2%, Maine Senate average 93.5%, ranks 22nd of 35. 771 roll calls in the ME 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

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

80%100%
Black
Peers
Rank
Attendance
92.4%
95.2%
28th of 35
Party unity
95.2%
93.5%
22nd of 35
Show the data
Black's attendance and party unity against Maine Senate.
RowBlackPeers
Attendance92.4%95.2%
Party unity95.2%93.5%
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

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 127
An Act To Strengthen Legislative Oversight Of Government Agencies And Programs By Reaffirming The Legislature'S Access To Confidential Records
RECEDE AND CONCUR
YeaWith majoritypassD 10–9 · R 11–0 · I 1–0Democrats 10 yea, 9 nay; Republicans 11 yea, 0 nay; Independents 1 yea, 0 nayparty crossover
Apr 14, 2026
LD 299
An Act To Support Investment In Agriculture
ADOPT SENATE AMENDMENT (S-717) to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
YeaWith majorityfailD 3–17 · R 14–0Democrats 3 yea, 17 nay; Republicans 14 yea, 0 nayclose vote · party crossover
Apr 14, 2026
LD 493
An Act To Expand Testing For Perfluoroalkyl And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances To Private Drinking Water Wells
ENACTMENT
NayWith majoritypassD 20–0 · R 0–13 · I 1–0Democrats 20 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 0 yea, 13 nay; Independents 1 yea, 0 naybecame law
Apr 14, 2026
LD 299
An Act To Support Investment In Agriculture
PASSAGE TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED
YeaWith majoritypassD 20–0 · R 8–6 · I 1–0Democrats 20 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 8 yea, 6 nay; Independents 1 yea, 0 nayparty crossover
Apr 14, 2026
LD 2054
An Act To Clarify The Laws Regarding Moose Hunting Permits For Hunting Outfitters
RECEDE AND CONCUR
YeaWith majoritypassD 12–8 · R 11–2 · I 1–0Democrats 12 yea, 8 nay; Republicans 11 yea, 2 nay; Independents 1 yea, 0 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 Black most often

  1. Jeff TimberlakeR645 shared votes95%
  2. Brad FarrinR596 shared votes94%
  3. Sue BernardR662 shared votes94%
  4. Bruce BickfordR620 shared votes93%
  5. David HagganR709 shared votes93%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Black least often

  1. Anne CarneyD671 shared votes14%
  2. Peggy RotundoD657 shared votes15%
  3. Pinny Beebe-CenterD695 shared votes16%
  4. Henry IngwersenD710 shared votes16%
  5. Donna BaileyD713 shared votes16%
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

Black sponsored 18 bills in the ME 2025–26 session; 11 became law. Cosponsored 43 others. 83% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Maine Senate average 69%; 6th of 33).

The bills Black 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

Sponsored18 billsSponsored, Introduced: 1818Sponsored, In committee: 1818Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 1515Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 1212Sponsored, Became law: 1111Cosponsored43 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 4343Cosponsored, In committee: 4343Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 2626Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 2323Cosponsored, Became law: 2020IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Black sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored1818151211
Cosponsored4343262320
How to read the blocks

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

83%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Maine Senate average 69%. Ranks 6th of 33.

Cosponsorship partners

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

  1. Jeff Timberlake16
  2. Timmy Guerrette14
  3. Bill Pluecker12
  4. Dean Cray12
  5. Randy Hall11
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 Black’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
LD 555An Act To Create A Separate Department Of Child And Family ServicesCosponsorApr 9, 2026Passed one chamberGovernment Operations and Politics(model)Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. Apr 29, 2026
LD 1547An Act To Use A Portion Of The Sales Tax On Snowmobiles To Fund Maine'S Snowmobile Trail ProgramsSponsorApr 2, 2026Became lawTransportation and Public Works(model)Signed by Governor Apr 13, 2026
LD 2042An Act To Eliminate The Requirement For Municipalities To Provide Public Notice In A NewspaperSponsorMar 24, 2026Became lawGovernment Operations and Politics(model)Signed by Governor Apr 3, 2026
LD 2144Resolve, To Establish The Working Group To Prioritize Wellness And Mental Health Resources For Heritage IndustriesCosponsorMar 10, 2026Became lawHealth(model)Signed by Governor Mar 23, 2026
LD 1661An Act To Establish A Comprehensive And Interagency Approach To Invasive Species ManagementCosponsorMar 5, 2026Became lawEnvironmental Protection(model)Became Law without Governor's Signature Apr 25, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

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

The lab crawls Black’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 Black 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 Black posted

No images from Black’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

37 turns, Feb 11, 2020 to May 13, 2025

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 Black is most unusual among State Senate 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
fa3e8ae3-757e-44fb-9451-6bf381d748ce
Open States
ocd-person/fa3e8ae3-757e-44fb-9451-6bf381d748ce

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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