110th Senate Rank Ordering

110^th Senate Rank Ordering

Jeff Lewis and Keith Poole

22 December 2008

Below is the rank ordering of the 110^th Senate. This ordering was produced by the Optimal Classification (OC) algorithm described in:

"Non-Parametric Unfolding of Binary Choice Data." Political Analysis, 8:211-237, 2000.

The scaling program that performs the rank ordering along with some examples can be downloaded from:

Optimal Classification (OC) Scaling Program Page

To see how OC works in one dimension, go to this page:

How Optimal Classification Works in One Dimension

To see how OC works in two or more dimensions, go to this page:

How Optimal Classification Works in Two or More Dimensions (Under Construction)

There were 657 roll calls cast in the 110^th Senate of which 551 roll calls had at least 0.5% or better in the minority and were used in the scaling. The rank ordering is based upon these 551 roll calls. Note that tied ranks are allowed.

The overall correct classification is 92.0% with an aggregate proportional reduction in error of (APRE) .760. In the ordering below, the number just to the right of the Senator's name is the classification error and the number to the right of that is the total number of roll calls cast by the Senator. For example, placing Senator Kennedy at the tied rank of 5.5 only resulted in 25 classification errors out of a total of 433 votes cast. The proportion correct is 418/443 = .944 (which is shown just to the left of the rank).

The two parties are perfectly separated in the liberal-conservative ordering.

(To obtain the latest 110^th Senate Roll Call Matrix go to Jeff Lewis' Webserver. To obtain a Stata 7 version of the Roll Call Matrix go to the Data Download Page on this Server. )

(Two dimensional spatial maps of the last 50 Senate Roll calls are displayed here and the last 50 House Roll calls are displayed here.)

(Senators Clinton, Obama, and McCain are Compared Here.)

(Ideological Rank Orderings of Recent Congresses: 110^th House, 109^th Senate, 109^th House, 108^th Senate, 108^th House, 107^th Senate, 107^th House. For Parametric Measures go to the Data Download Page. The 110^th Senate is the most polarized Senate since the end of Reconstruction.)

 110 49309 25  WISCONS D FEINGOLD      51  551   0.907   1.000
 110 29147  6  VERMONT I SANDERS       27  547   0.951   2.000
 110 14213  1  CONNECT D DODD          16  417   0.962   3.000
 110 15011 71  CALIFOR D BOXER         18  517   0.965   4.000
 110 10808  3  MASSACH D KENNEDY  ED   25  443   0.944   5.500
 110 40704  5  RHODE I D WHITEHOUSE    20  549   0.964   5.500
 110 14920  3  MASSACH D KERRY  JOHN   23  530   0.957   7.000
 110  1366 56  WEST VI D BYRD  ROBER   59  493   0.880   8.000
 110 29389 24  OHIO    D BROWN         17  542   0.969   9.000
 110 14101 11  DELAWAR D BIDEN          8  383   0.979  10.000
 110 29373 12  NEW JER D MENENDEZ      19  544   0.965  11.500
 110 29142  5  RHODE I D REED          21  548   0.962  11.500
 110 40502 21  ILLINOI D OBAMA         12  303   0.960  13.500
 110 14914 12  NEW JER D LAUTENBERG    16  541   0.970  13.500
 110 15021 21  ILLINOI D DURBIN        12  548   0.978  15.000
 110 14858 13  NEW YOR D SCHUMER       16  542   0.970  16.000
 110 14230 31  IOWA    D HARKIN        26  536   0.951  17.000
 110 40105 13  NEW YOR D CLINTON       11  378   0.971  18.000
 110 14307  6  VERMONT D LEAHY         27  548   0.951  19.000
 110 15054 65  NEVADA  D REID          34  548   0.938  21.000
 110 40700 33  MINNESO D KLOBUCHAR     34  544   0.938  21.000
 110 29732 23  MICHIGA D STABENOW      28  546   0.949  21.000
 110 14400 82  HAWAII  D AKAKA         19  549   0.965  23.000
 110 39310 73  WASHING D CANTWELL      29  545   0.947  25.000
 110 49308 73  WASHING D MURRAY        15  538   0.972  25.000
 110 14871 72  OREGON  D WYDEN         26  540   0.952  25.000
 110 14912 66  NEW MEX D BINGAMAN      25  544   0.954  27.500
 110 14709 23  MICHIGA D LEVIN  CARL   24  546   0.956  27.500
 110 15408 52  MARYLAN D CARDIN        14  548   0.974  29.000
 110 15703 25  WISCONS D KOHL          17  551   0.969  30.000
 110 49300 71  CALIFOR D FEINSTEIN     29  536   0.946  31.000
 110  4812 82  HAWAII  D INOUYE        27  507   0.947  32.000
 110 14440 52  MARYLAN D MIKULSKI      23  542   0.958  33.000
 110 14651 43  FLORIDA D NELSON        39  541   0.928  34.500
 110 15704  1  CONNECT D LIEBERMAN     68  533   0.872  34.500
 110 40703 14  PENNSYL D CASEY         25  551   0.955  36.000
 110 40706 40  VIRGINI D WEBB          36  544   0.934  37.000
 110 14922 56  WEST VI D ROCKEFELLER   34  523   0.935  38.000
 110 15502 36  NORTH D D CONRAD        35  542   0.935  39.000
 110 14812 36  NORTH D D DORGAN        41  541   0.924  40.000
 110 40701 34  MISSOUR D MCCASKILL     70  538   0.870  41.000
 110 14203 64  MONTANA D BAUCUS        34  549   0.938  42.500
 110 40702 64  MONTANA D TESTER        45  544   0.917  42.500
 110 40500 62  COLORAD D SALAZAR       32  550   0.942  44.000
 110 29305 42  ARKANSA D LINCOLN       30  534   0.944  45.000
 110 15425 37  SOUTH D D JOHNSON       16  301   0.947  46.000
 110 40301 42  ARKANSA D PRYOR         35  549   0.936  47.000
 110 15015 11  DELAWAR D CARPER        43  544   0.921  48.000
 110 49702 45  LOUISIA D LANDRIEU      62  537   0.885  49.000
 110 40103 35  NEBRASK D NELSON  BEN   59  543   0.891  50.000
 110 49901 22  INDIANA D BAYH          71  538   0.868  51.000
 110 14661  2  MAINE   R SNOWE         47  550   0.915  52.000
 110 49703  2  MAINE   R COLLINS       57  551   0.897  53.000
 110 49705 72  OREGON  R SMITH  GORD   58  547   0.894  54.000
 110 40302 33  MINNESO R COLEMAN       49  531   0.908  55.000
 110 14910 14  PENNSYL R SPECTER       62  543   0.886  56.000
 110 14506 22  INDIANA R LUGAR         76  546   0.861  57.000
 110 49903 24  OHIO    R VOINOVICH    141  543   0.740  58.000
 110 40300 81  ALASKA  R MURKOWSKI     42  541   0.922  59.000
 110 12109 81  ALASKA  R STEVENS       41  528   0.922  60.000
 110 14712 40  VIRGINI R WARNER        51  503   0.899  61.000
 110 14103 66  NEW MEX R DOMENICI      52  520   0.900  62.000
 110 14226 31  IOWA    R GRASSLEY      84  551   0.848  63.000
 110 14852 32  KANSAS  R ROBERTS       44  539   0.918  64.000
 110 14503 67  UTAH    R HATCH         50  540   0.907  65.000
 110 49704 35  NEBRASK R HAGEL        114  509   0.776  66.000
 110 14009 46  MISSISS R COCHRAN       61  543   0.888  67.000
 110 49307 67  UTAH    R BENNETT       64  544   0.882  68.000
 110 40501 43  FLORIDA R MARTINEZ      79  543   0.855  69.000
 110 15501 34  MISSOUR R BOND          58  526   0.890  70.000
 110 40304 54  TENNESS R ALEXANDER     50  528   0.905  71.000
 110 40705 54  TENNESS R CORKER        61  541   0.887  72.000
 110 49306 49  TEXAS   R HUTCHISON     49  543   0.910  73.000
 110 29534 46  MISSISS R WICKER        21  178   0.882  74.000
 110 29740  4  NEW HAM R SUNUNU        78  542   0.856  75.000
 110 94659 41  ALABAMA R SHELBY        56  547   0.898  76.000
 110 40303 47  NORTH C R DOLE          70  524   0.866  77.000
 110 29523 32  KANSAS  R BROWNBACK     47  431   0.891  78.000
 110 29754 37  SOUTH D R THUNE         58  548   0.894  79.000
 110 29512 44  GEORGIA R CHAMBLISS     38  541   0.930  80.000
 110 29909 44  GEORGIA R ISAKSON       28  539   0.948  81.000
 110 14809 63  IDAHO   R CRAIG         60  519   0.884  82.000
 110 29345 63  IDAHO   R CRAPO         50  533   0.906  83.000
 110 14031 46  MISSISS R LOTT          38  338   0.888  84.000
 110 14921 51  KENTUCK R MCCONNELL     41  550   0.925  85.000
 110 14826  4  NEW HAM R GREGG         87  535   0.837  86.000
 110 49700 41  ALABAMA R SESSIONS      53  540   0.902  87.000
 110 29566 48  SOUTH C R GRAHAM        54  514   0.895  88.000
 110 40305 49  TEXAS   R CORNYN        29  529   0.945  89.000
 110 15039 61  ARIZONA R MCCAIN        22  199   0.889  90.000
 110 29918 45  LOUISIA R VITTER        51  532   0.904  91.000
 110 15406 51  KENTUCK R BUNNING       49  534   0.908  92.000
 110 29108 62  COLORAD R ALLARD        28  531   0.947  93.000
 110 15633 68  WYOMING R THOMAS        10  122   0.918  94.000
 110 29548 47  NORTH C R BURR          37  536   0.931  95.000
 110 49706 68  WYOMING R ENZI          37  539   0.931  96.000
 110 40707 68  WYOMING R BARASSO       23  373   0.938  97.000
 110 29537 65  NEVADA  R ENSIGN        41  528   0.922  98.000
 110 15429 61  ARIZONA R KYL           49  541   0.909  99.000
 110 15424 53  OKLAHOM R INHOFE        34  525   0.935 100.000
 110 99910 99  USA     R BUSH          12  113   0.894 101.000
 110 29555 53  OKLAHOM R COBURN        30  508   0.941 102.000
 110 29936 48  SOUTH C R DEMINT        18  534   0.966 103.000

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