Alex Munguia, Campus Reform

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are some of the least effective members of Congress, according to a new study by researchers from Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia.

The researchers, who generated their data using computers and basing their scores on 15 criteria, say the proof is in the math.

Their equations factored how many of a congressman’s bills pass committee, make it to the other house, and eventually become law. They established a benchmark score of 1.5 and above as “Exceptional” and scores of .50 and below as “Below Expectations.”

Among the lowest scoring House Democrats were Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (0.209) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (0.058).

They also identified several senators who were ineffective, with Sen.  Bernie Sanders of Vermont scoring 0.136.

The average score was 1.0.

The highest scoring senators were Gary Peters (D-Mi.), Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) and Roger Wicker (R-Ms.), who scored 5.015, 3.589, and 3.558.

Congressmen who practice bipartisanship are the most effect legislators, the study also said.

“Collectively, these results imply that engaging in bipartisan behaviors contributes to a virtuous cycle: those who cosponsor across party lines attract cross-party cosponsors to their own bills, which translates into greater legislative success for their agendas.”

And it found that regardless of political affiliations “those who acquired degrees from elite educational institutions tend to be more liberal than others in their respective parties.”

Rep. Rashida Talib  had the highest score of the “squad” at 1.411, beating both Representatives Ilhan Omar (0.328) and  Ayanna Pressley (0.670).

Speaking to Campus Reform Vanderbilt University Professor Alan Wiseman, who helped to organize the study, said bipartisanship is still a path to becoming a successful lawmaker in Congress.

Wiseman said that there is a “very strong relationship between bipartisanship and lawmaking effectiveness for our top 10 Democratic House and Senate members holds.”

“Even in these politically challenging times,” he continued. “Bipartisanship appears to pay off for those who seek to advance their legislative initiatives.”

Follow this author on Twitter: @ajmunguia23

• Author
• Recent Posts

BPR Wire

Latest posts by BPR Wire (see all)

• The Florida candidate laser-focused on eradicating horrific animal crimes - March 22, 2024
• Sabo: ‘Rush was our GOAT, there was no equal and he made it look easy’ - February 18, 2024
• Dana Bash appears to want to crawl out of her own skin when Ramaswamy ‘goes there’ on J6 - December 7, 2023

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.