Congressional Quarterly has studied the voting behavior of members of Congress since 1953 to assess how often lawmakers stick with members of their own caucus on votes when the two parties divide and how often they back the president on votes where he has a clear position. With Congress out of town until after the Nov. 4 elections, CQ's editors are digging into their votes database to compile expanded vote analysis packages for CQ.com.

Partisanship and Presidential Support in the Bush Era

CQ has completed a study of all roll-call votes during President Bush's two terms — up to Congress' Oct. 3 recess. This unique look at the way lawmakers voted over an entire presidency underscores the high level of Capitol Hill partisanship that has been a hallmark of the period, and shows that Republican support for President Bush generally was quite high, while Democratic support was quite low in the House and limited in the Senate.

The searchable table shows both party unity and presidential support scores over the entire Bush presidency for individual lawmakers who are currently serving in the 110th Congress. It also flags the races CQ Politics has determined will be competitive on Election Day.

How CQ Calculated the Bush Administration Scores | Previous CQ Weekly Coverage: Moderates Come Front and Center (July 28)

Party unity scores for those lawmakers who changed political parties during the period may fail to fully account for their current position, since the scores show how often these members supported their current party, regardless of their past affiliation.

Rep. Rodney Alexander , R-La., was a Democrat until Sept. 7, 2004, and Rep. Virgil H. Goode, R-Va., was an independent until Aug. 1, 2002. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., was a Democrat until Jan. 4, 2007. Lieberman and Sen. Bernard Sanders , I-Vt., are treated as if they were Democrats because they caucus with that party.

Also, 13 senators served in the House at some point during the Bush administration: Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Richard M. Burr, R-N.C.; Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md.; Saxby Chambliss , R-Ga.; Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.; Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; Bernard Sanders, I-Vt.; John E. Sununu, R-N.H.; John Thune, R-S.D.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; and David Vitter, R-La. Their scores are aggregates that include party unity and presidential support votes during their House tenure.

New! Interactive Analysis for Bush Era Vote Studies