How Senator Scorecards work
Grades come only from recorded Senate votes. For each vote we mark which answer (Yea or Nay) matches the side of the issue, then count how often each senator voted that way. The math is done in code; no grade or vote is made up.
Official Senate roll-call votes (via Voteview)
A means the senator voted for this side most often — not that the senator is better. F means the senator voted against this side most often. Based on votes through 2026-08-08.
How is the score calculated?
| Step |
|---|
| The 10 issues are the ones voters said matter most in Pew Research Center polling (October 2026). |
| For each issue we picked relevant Senate roll-call votes from the 118th and 119th Congresses and marked which answer matches the issue’s side. |
| Final passage votes and major amendments count double (weight 2). Procedural votes like cloture and motions count once (weight 1). |
| Score = weighted share of counted votes where the senator voted for the issue’s side. |
| Missed votes do not count for or against a senator, but we show how many were missed. |
| If an issue has fewer than 8 qualifying votes, or a senator cast fewer than 3 of them (for example, because they joined the Senate recently), the grade is “N/A — not enough votes yet.” |
| Votes cover each senator’s whole Senate career, from landmark bills since 1989 through today, so senators who served longer are graded on more votes. Votes from before a senator took office are not counted. |
| A means the senator voted for this side most often — not that the senator is better. F means the senator voted against this side most often. |
What does each side mean?
| Issue | Side | Means voting |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | Pro-worker/union | for stronger labor protections, union rights and a higher minimum wage |
| Democracy & elections | Pro-voting-access | for expanding mail voting, early voting and easier registration |
| Healthcare | Pro-public-healthcare-funding | for more funding for Medicaid, ACA subsidies and Medicare |
| Education | Pro-education-funding | for more federal funding for schools, student aid and teachers |
| Immigration | Pro-border-enforcement | for more funding and powers for border security and deportations |
| Foreign policy | Pro-defense-spending | for higher military spending and aid to U.S. allies |
| Energy | Pro-fossil-fuel-production | for expanding oil, gas and coal drilling and production |
| Crime | Pro-police-funding | for more funding for law enforcement and tougher penalties |
| Abortion | Pro-abortion-rights | for protecting or expanding access to abortion |
| Guns | Pro-gun-rights | against new gun restrictions |
What is the grade scale?
| Score | Grade |
|---|---|
| 97–100 | A+ |
| 93–96 | A |
| 90–92 | A- |
| 87–89 | B+ |
| 83–86 | B |
| 80–82 | B- |
| 77–79 | C+ |
| 73–76 | C |
| 70–72 | C- |
| 67–69 | D+ |
| 63–66 | D |
| 60–62 | D- |
| Below 60 | F |