Card image cap

Robert Ruhl Simmons' Ratings and Endorsements

Vote Smart displays all known interest group ratings for each candidate and official, regardless of issue or bias.

Keep in mind that ratings done by special interest groups often do not represent a non-partisan stance. In addition, some groups select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issue concerns. Nevertheless, they can be invaluable in showing where an incumbent has stood on a series of votes in the past one or two years, especially when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Website links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering performance evaluations are accessible by clicking on the name of the group.

With rare exceptions, Vote Smart displays interest group ratings as a 0-100 percentage. While many interest groups use percentages as ratings to begin with, please note that Vote Smart has translated some ratings to a percentage from a different rating system for consistency and ease in understanding. Please visit the group's website, email us at ratings@votesmart.org or call our Voter Information Hotline at 1-888-VOTESMART for more specific information.

48%
2003
45%
2001-2002
100%
2004
100%
2003
100%
2001
100%
1996
0%
2001-2002
100%
2001
100%
1995-2003
0%
2001
57%
2001-2002
57%
2001-2002
80%
2001-2002
80%
2001-2002
Fence Sitter
2002
Fence Sitter
2002
100%
2003
86%
2001-2002
100%
2003
53%
2005
53%
2005
47%
2005
47%
2005
49%
2005
49%
2005
51%
2005
51%
2005
46%
2005
46%
2005
48%
2005
48%
2005
54%
2005
54%
2005
47%
2004
47%
2004
52%
2004
52%
2004
56%
2004
56%
2004
43%
2004
43%
2004
56%
2004
56%
2004
43%
2004
43%
2004
48%
2003
48%
2003
53%
2003
53%
2003
53%
2003
53%
2003
47%
2003
47%
2003
42%
2003
42%
2003
57%
2003
57%
2003
53%
2003
53%
2003
47%
2003
47%
2003
51%
2002
51%
2002
48%
2002
48%
2002
47%
2002
47%
2002
40%
2002
40%
2002
48%
2002
48%
2002
59%
2002
59%
2002
51%
2002
51%
2002
52%
2002
52%
2002
43%
2001
43%
2001
56%
2001
56%
2001
40%
2001
40%
2001
33%
2001
33%
2001
60%
2001
60%
2001
60%
2001
60%
2001
67%
2003
58%
2003-2004
0%
2006
0%
2006
85%
2003
85%
2003
92%
2003-2004
82%
2003-2004
0%
2004
25%
2005
14%
2004
33%
2003
83%
2001-2002
83%
2001-2002
83%
2001
48%
2003
45%
2001-2002
41%
2004
41%
2003-2004
38%
2003
38%
2001-2002
62
2005
62
2005
42%
2004
42%
2004
31%
2003
31%
2003
47%
2002
47%
2002
73%
1998-2002
45%
2003-2004
0%
2001-2002
20%
2004
20%
2004
33%
2003
33%
2003
0%
2002
0%
2002
13%
2001
13%
2001
25%
2004
20%
2003
40%
2001-2002
40%
2001-2002
0%
2003
0%
2003
27%
2001-2002
27%
2001-2002
58%
2003-2004
75%
2003
82%
2003-2004
60%
2001-2002
33%
2003
0%
2002
0%
2006
75%
2001-2002
42%
2004
58%
2003
49%
2002
58%
2001
37%
2005
33%
2005
48%
2004
65
2003
65
2003
65
2003
62
2002
62
2002
62
2002
73%
2001
55%
2001-2002
55%
2001-2002
43%
2001-2002
43%
2001-2002
37%
2005-2006
37%
2005-2006
41%
2001-2002
100%
2003-2004
100%
2003-2004
81%
2001-2002
-2
2001-2002
25%
2004
20%
2003
40%
2001-2002
40%
2001-2002
0%
2004
45%
2003-2004
0%
2001-2002
0%
2005
100%
2003
67%
2001-2002
67%
2001-2002
100%
2003
60%
2001
60%
2001
100%
2003-2004
78%
2005-2006
0%
2001
100%
2003
25%
2004
25%
2003
100%
2006
100%
2005-2006
25%
2001-2002
25%
2004
20%
2003
40%
2001-2002
40%
2001-2002
0%
2001
0%
2001
22%
2001-2002
57%
2003-2006
57%
2003-2006
23%
2003-2005
23%
2003-2005
57%
2003
57%
2003
33%
2002
33%
2002
36%
2001
36%
2001
50%
2005-2006
50%
2004
50%
2004
50%
2003-2004
100%
2003-2004
21%
2003-2004
25%
1997-1998
25%
1997-1998
0%
1996
19%
1996
22%
1994
10%
1994
80%
2001-2002
80%
2001-2002
33%
2005-2006
18%
2005-2006
18%
2005-2006
15%
2001-2002
15%
2001-2002
83%
2001-2002
83%
2001-2002
83%
2001
100%
2003-2004
100%
2003-2004
73%
1998-2002
45%
2003-2004
0%
2001-2002
20%
2004
20%
2004
33%
2003
33%
2003
0%
2002
0%
2002
13%
2001
13%
2001
33%
2003
-2
2001-2002
100%
2003
67%
2001-2002
67%
2001-2002
50%
2003
41%
2004
41%
2003-2004
38%
2003
38%
2001-2002
0%
2005
25%
2005
14%
2004
33%
2003
45%
2003-2004
48%
2003
48%
2003
45%
2001-2002
45%
2001-2002
35%
2005
35%
2005
37%
2005
37%
2005
33%
2005
48%
2004
48%
2004
65
2003
65
2003
65
2003
65
2003
65
2003
65
2003
62
2002
62
2002
62
2002
62
2002
62
2002
62
2002
73%
2001
73%
2001
24%
2006
13%
2005
13%
2005
25%
2004
30%
2004
30%
2004
25%
2004
38%
2003
38%
2003
50%
2002
50%
2002
55%
2001
55%
2001
33%
2005-2006
18%
2005-2006
18%
2005-2006
18%
2005-2006
18%
2005-2006
37%
2005-2006
37%
2005-2006
41%
2001-2002
50%
2002
0%
2003
0%
2003
27%
2001-2002
27%
2001-2002
40%
2003-2004
40%
2003-2004
0%
2002
100%
2003
67%
2001-2002
67%
2001-2002
33%
2003-2004
arrow_upward