Red-state Republicans far to the left of their voters: Study

Republican voter frustration with their own elected officials appears warranted to some degree as a recent study found that lawmakers representing deep-red states have voted to the left of their districts by a considerable degree.

A recently debuted study by the Institute for Legislative Analysis (ILA) analyzed the votes of all lawmakers in the past Congress and assigned them a score based on their ideology. It then compared that score with the CookPVI analysis of the district they represent to assess how well they matched their voters.

The study found that Republicans in solidly red states ranked among the least well-aligned with their voters. A total of 22 of the current Senate Republicans received an F grade, whereas only seven notched an A+. Among the least aligned Republican lawmakers was Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Sen. Sen Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., was the most out-of-step with his district in the opposite direction, notching a 93.88% limited government rating compared with a district estimate of 64%. He earned an A+ grade.