The American Conservative Union Foundation (ACUF) released its scorecard of Iowa State Senators and Iowa State Representatives based on their voting record during 2018 meeting of the 87th Assembly.
The ratings are an initiative of ACUF’s Center for Legislative Accountability.
ACUF reviewed each piece of legislation voted on in both the Senate and House to produce average scores of each chamber as well as individual scores for each sitting member. According to ACUF’s Year in Review, the Iowa Legislature’s overall conservative score improved compared to the 2017 session (from 58.46 percent to 60.01 percent).
Iowa legislators voted on key issues during the 2018 session. In one or both chambers, they voted to improve insurance options by permitting association health plans, ban sanctuary cities, and advance an amendment to enshrine the right to bears arms in the state constitution.
“In the 2018 session, lawmakers of the Iowa Legislature advanced a measure to enshrine the right to bear arms in the state constitution,” said ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp. “They also voted to defend the constitutional role of the federal government to enforce immigration policy by banning sanctuary cities. We applaud conservatives of the Iowa Legislature who took a stand in the 2018 session to make communities safer and who continue protect the important principles of the U.S. Constitution.”
Republican Iowa House Representatives earned an average score of 80 percent, while 33 representatives earned awards for scoring 80 percent or better. Republican Iowa Senators earned an average score of 81 percent, while 22 senators earned awards for the 2018 session. The overall average for the Iowa Legislature was 60.01 percent.
Read their ratings below: