Q&A of the Day – Matt Gaetz’s Voting Record Compared to Other Republicans
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s Entry: Brian, thank you for telling us how Florida’s congressional delegation voted on the CR. My question for you is regarding Matt Gaetz. Is his voting record really that much more conservative than other Republicans, such that he continues to lead the opposition against McCarthy, or is he an attention seeker? Thank you for helping us stay informed.
Bottom Line: I appreciate the question, it’s an interesting one as we’re set to see if Gaetz’s effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will prove effective. And of course, it was the Gaetz-led effort in January that led to McCarthy needing 15 votes and having to offer numerous concessions to clear the finish line. It’s one of those concessions McCarthy agreed to, in order to gain the needed support in January, which is now being used by Gaetz against him...the ability for just one member to pursue his ouster. There are numerous ways to compare voting records between congressional members. I’ve previously compared the voting records of Congressional members to that of the president’s position. There’s subjectivity in what’s considered to be a “conservative” voting record. In the era of Trump, I was able to use him as the barometer for that characterization. In the era of Biden that’s not the case. Simply standing in opposition to President Biden’s positions doesn’t inherently mean one’s voting record is conservative. For that reason, I’m going to opt for the Heritage Foundation’s Congressional Scorecard.
The Heritage Foundation says this about its Heritage Action Scorecard:
Our mission is to fight for conservative policies in Washington, D.C. and in state capitals across the country. We turn ideas into bills and bills into law. Instrumental to achieving these policy victories are a trained network of Heritage Action Sentinels. Sentinels are boots-on-the-ground, grassroots Americans; They are engaged citizens and local leaders who work for the betterment of America at all levels of society.
Heritage Action reinforces the grassroots work of Sentinels with our first-class team of state directors and government relations specialists in Washington. Together, Heritage Action and Sentinels are fighting for America’s future.
The Heritage Action Scorecard is the leading conservative scorecard. It allows constituents to hold their members accountable based on how they vote on specific key pieces of conservative legislation.
The Heritage Action Scorecard grades the voting records of congressional members on a percentage basis relative to their conservative agenda. They provide current session scores and lifetime scores. Currently the highest score of any member of Congress is 100%. In an effort to answer today’s question let’s start by highlighting Matt Gaetz’s Heritage score...
- 84% in the current session with a 90% lifetime score
Where does that place him politically among his peers? He’s tied for the 69th most conservative voting record in the House of Representatives. There are currently 221 House Republicans. This means Gaetz’s record is more conservative, according to the Heritage Foundation, than 69% of the Republican conference – however he’s far from being the Conservative standard bearer in the House. In fact, Gaetz isn’t even close to being the most conservative House member in Florida. The following House Floridians have more conservative voting records than Gaetz in the current congress:
100% Scores:
- Kat Cammack
- Anna Paulina Luna
- Bill Posey
- Greg Stube
- Mike Waltz
98% Scores:
- Vern Buchanan
- Byron Donalds
- Brian Mast
- Cory Mills
Incidentally, a Floridian has the most conservative voting record in the Senate - Rick Scott’s 100% score (Rubio is at 80%). So Gaetz isn’t even close to being the conservative standard bearer in Florida, let alone the House – at least according to the Heritage Foundation’s standards. I can’t specifically speak to whether Gaetz is just an attention seeker or whether there’s more to this...or if perhaps it’s a personal vendetta against Kevin McCarthy for reasons unknown. I’ve reported and you’re welcome to decide what you think is at play here.