The Lugar Center, founded by Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, calls itself “a platform for an informed debate on global issues.” As such, one of the attributes they value from elected officials is bipartisanship.
In fact, they value it so much that they produce a “Bipartisan Index” for all members of each chamber. Their latest index is for 2023.
In their press release, they note that the 2023 results “showed an intensely partisan Congress, though one that was slightly improved from recent years.”
In the House, the most bipartisan member was Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania. The least bipartisan? Flame-thrower Jim Jordan of Ohio. (Quelle surprise)
In the Senate, the most bipartisan member was Susan Collins, Republican from Maine. The least was Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama
The results from Kentucky
So, how did our six Congress-folk and two Senators do in this latest index of bipartisan lawmaking? Here’s a table by rankings, with the score for each person. Note that a positive number means more bipartisan than not. Also note that the scores for House and Senate are calculated differently, so cannot be compared. And finally, Mitch McConnell is not included because he is part of leadership, whose responsibilities often outweigh reaching across the aisle.
I have to admit, I was a little surprised to see Guthrie at the top of this list, and with a positive score. But seeing Thomas Massie as the least bipartisan was definitely not a surprise.
What do you think? How much do you value bipartisanship? Any thoughts on our Kentucky folks, or on the index as a whole? Feel free to weigh in using the comment section below.
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