111th Senate Rank Ordering

111^th Senate Rank Ordering

Jeff Lewis and Keith Poole

31 July 2009

Below is the rank ordering of the 111^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 254 roll calls cast in the 111^th Senate as of 31 July 2009 of which 233 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 233 roll calls. Note that tied ranks are allowed.

The overall correct classification is 94.1% with an aggregate proportional reduction in error of (APRE) .822. 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 Durbin at the rank of 1.0 only resulted in 3 classification errors out of a total of 229 votes cast. The proportion correct is 226/229 = .987 (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 111^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: 111^th House, 110^th Senate, 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.)

 111 15021 21  ILLINOI D DURBIN         3  229   0.987   1.000
 111 40704  5  RHODE I D WHITEHOUSE     4  223   0.982   2.000
 111 14230 31  IOWA    D HARKIN         5  228   0.978   3.000
 111 14920  3  MASSACH D KERRY  JOHN    4  232   0.983   4.000
 111 29389 24  OHIO    D BROWN          2  227   0.991   5.000
 111 29147  6  VERMONT I SANDERS       13  232   0.944   6.500
 111 15408 52  MARYLAN D CARDIN         4  233   0.983   6.500
 111 14440 52  MARYLAN D MIKULSKI       2  209   0.990   9.000
 111 40903 21  ILLINOI D BURRIS         2  223   0.991   9.000
 111 14709 23  MICHIGA D LEVIN  CARL    6  233   0.974   9.000
 111 20735 13  NEW YOR D GILLIBRAND     3  214   0.986  12.000
 111 14307  6  VERMONT D LEAHY          5  228   0.978  12.000
 111 14914 12  NEW JER D LAUTENBERG     3  232   0.987  12.000
 111 29142  5  RHODE I D REED           5  228   0.978  14.500
 111 15054 65  NEVADA  D REID          11  233   0.953  14.500
 111 14213  1  CONNECT D DODD           4  225   0.982  18.000
 111 15011 71  CALIFOR D BOXER          6  231   0.974  18.000
 111  4812 82  HAWAII  D INOUYE         5  231   0.978  18.000
 111 29373 12  NEW JER D MENENDEZ       4  232   0.983  18.000
 111 14922 56  WEST VI D ROCKEFELLER    8  189   0.958  18.000
 111 29924 66  NEW MEX D UDALL         12  230   0.948  23.000
 111 14871 72  OREGON  D WYDEN          7  229   0.969  23.000
 111 40908 72  OREGON  D MERKLEY        6  233   0.974  23.000
 111 49300 71  CALIFOR D FEINSTEIN     10  231   0.957  23.000
 111 14858 13  NEW YOR D SCHUMER        4  233   0.983  23.000
 111 40906  4  NEW HAM D SHAHEEN       11  229   0.952  26.500
 111 40901 11  DELAWAR D KAUFMAN        5  228   0.978  26.500
 111 14400 82  HAWAII  D AKAKA          7  233   0.970  28.500
 111 15704  1  CONNECT D LIEBERMAN     21  229   0.908  28.500
 111 15015 11  DELAWAR D CARPER        15  232   0.935  30.000
 111 40904 33  MINNESO D FRANKEN        2   35   0.943  31.000
 111 14912 66  NEW MEX D BINGAMAN      16  233   0.931  32.000
 111 49308 73  WASHING D MURRAY         7  227   0.969  33.500
 111 39310 73  WASHING D CANTWELL      13  232   0.944  33.500
 111 29732 23  MICHIGA D STABENOW       6  230   0.974  35.000
 111 14651 43  FLORIDA D NELSON        16  232   0.931  36.000
 111 40700 33  MINNESO D KLOBUCHAR     19  229   0.917  37.500
 111 15703 25  WISCONS D KOHL           8  233   0.966  37.500
 111 40909 40  VIRGINI D WARNER        16  232   0.931  39.500
 111 40900 81  ALASKA  D BEGICH        13  226   0.942  39.500
 111 40703 14  PENNSYL D CASEY         11  233   0.953  41.500
 111 29906 62  COLORAD D UDALL         16  231   0.931  41.500
 111 15425 37  SOUTH D D JOHNSON        9  225   0.960  43.500
 111 40910 62  COLORAD D BENNET        13  224   0.942  43.500
 111 94910 14  PENNSYL D SPECTER        3   69   0.957  45.000
 111 40702 64  MONTANA D TESTER        10  231   0.957  46.500
 111 14203 64  MONTANA D BAUCUS        12  232   0.948  46.500
 111  1366 56  WEST VI D BYRD  ROBER   15  169   0.911  48.000
 111 49702 45  LOUISIA D LANDRIEU      12  221   0.946  49.000
 111 40907 47  NORTH C D HAGAN         15  230   0.935  50.000
 111 40301 42  ARKANSA D PRYOR          6  232   0.974  51.500
 111 14812 36  NORTH D D DORGAN        13  229   0.943  51.500
 111 15502 36  NORTH D D CONRAD        15  220   0.932  53.000
 111 40706 40  VIRGINI D WEBB          23  233   0.901  54.000
 111 40701 34  MISSOUR D MCCASKILL     41  232   0.823  55.000
 111 29305 42  ARKANSA D LINCOLN       10  233   0.957  56.000
 111 49309 25  WISCONS D FEINGOLD      38  233   0.837  57.000
 111 49901 22  INDIANA D BAYH          34  231   0.853  58.000
 111 40103 35  NEBRASK D NELSON  BEN   24  233   0.897  59.000
 111 14661  2  MAINE   R SNOWE         12  233   0.948  60.000
 111 49703  2  MAINE   R COLLINS       14  233   0.940  61.000
 111 14910 14  PENNSYL R SPECTER       11  161   0.932  62.000
 111 40300 81  ALASKA  R MURKOWSKI     22  227   0.903  63.000
 111 14506 22  INDIANA R LUGAR         37  232   0.841  64.000
 111 49903 24  OHIO    R VOINOVICH     39  222   0.824  65.000
 111 15501 34  MISSOUR R BOND          22  221   0.900  66.000
 111 14009 46  MISSISS R COCHRAN       21  230   0.909  67.000
 111 40304 54  TENNESS R ALEXANDER     16  228   0.930  68.000
 111 14826  4  NEW HAM R GREGG         21  199   0.894  69.000
 111 40501 43  FLORIDA R MARTINEZ      30  215   0.860  70.000
 111 40705 54  TENNESS R CORKER        32  229   0.860  71.000
 111 14503 67  UTAH    R HATCH         18  229   0.921  72.000
 111 49307 67  UTAH    R BENNETT       13  224   0.942  73.000
 111 29534 46  MISSISS R WICKER        17  231   0.926  74.000
 111 94659 41  ALABAMA R SHELBY        26  233   0.888  75.000
 111 49306 49  TEXAS   R HUTCHISON     18  218   0.917  76.000
 111 14921 51  KENTUCK R MCCONNELL     13  232   0.944  77.000
 111 29523 32  KANSAS  R BROWNBACK     13  229   0.943  78.000
 111 14852 32  KANSAS  R ROBERTS       16  217   0.926  79.000
 111 40902 63  IDAHO   R RISCH         14  233   0.940  80.500
 111 29345 63  IDAHO   R CRAPO         18  232   0.922  80.500
 111 29754 37  SOUTH D R THUNE         13  233   0.944  82.500
 111 29566 48  SOUTH C R GRAHAM        19  228   0.917  82.500
 111 29909 44  GEORGIA R ISAKSON       10  228   0.956  84.000
 111 40905 35  NEBRASK R JOHANNS       15  207   0.928  86.000
 111 15039 61  ARIZONA R MCCAIN        17  228   0.925  86.000
 111 29512 44  GEORGIA R CHAMBLISS      8  226   0.965  86.000
 111 49706 68  WYOMING R ENZI          12  230   0.948  88.500
 111 40707 68  WYOMING R BARASSO       11  233   0.953  88.500
 111 14226 31  IOWA    R GRASSLEY      23  233   0.901  90.000
 111 49700 41  ALABAMA R SESSIONS      12  216   0.944  92.000
 111 29918 45  LOUISIA R VITTER        12  228   0.947  92.000
 111 40305 49  TEXAS   R CORNYN        11  227   0.952  92.000
 111 15429 61  ARIZONA R KYL           17  230   0.926  94.000
 111 29537 65  NEVADA  R ENSIGN        16  225   0.929  95.000
 111 29548 47  NORTH C R BURR          13  231   0.944  96.000
 111 15424 53  OKLAHOM R INHOFE         6  226   0.973  97.000
 111 15406 51  KENTUCK R BUNNING       15  224   0.933  98.000
 111 29936 48  SOUTH C R DEMINT         7  231   0.970  99.000
 111 29555 53  OKLAHOM R COBURN         6  231   0.974 100.000

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