The
complicated math behind the analysis transforms a lawmaker's
entire voting record into one number, with negative numbers for
liberals and positive readings for conservatives. The most
liberal have the least in common with the most conservative,
while moderates from each party have more overlap and are given
scores in between.
* U.S. Representative Ralph Norman, a member of the
ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, has a score of 0.85,
while U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat and the
leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has a score of
-0.65.
* U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a maverick Democrat, only barely
skews liberal with a score of -0.05.
* Since the Republican Party was founded in the 19th Century,
the gulf between Republicans and Democrats - measured by the
distance between scores in the middle of each party - has mostly
varied between 0.5 and 0.85 for every two-year session of
Congress. But the gap has hit new records in the last decade.
* Currently, the gap in the House sits at 0.90, beating the 0.89
gaps for lawmakers elected in 2016 and 2018. The current 0.88
gap in the U.S. Senate is also at a record high for that
chamber.
(Reporting by Jason Lange; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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