Bipartisan Leadership Prioritizes Governance Over Ideology.
The Lugar Center, in partnership with Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, publishes the Bipartisan Index which measures how well legislators work together to solve problems for the American polity in Washington.
The Lugar Center Measures the Bipartisan Legislative Activities of Each Member of Congress
Index Scores Are Based On a Historical Standard
The Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index is an objective measurement of the frequency with which a Member co-sponsors a bill introduced by the opposite party and the frequency with which a Member’s own bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party. This Index is not so much about the quality of legislation but the efforts of legislators to broaden the appeal of their sponsored legislation, to entertain a wider range of ideas, and to prioritize governance over posturing.
A Look at the 2020 Democratic Candidates.
Applying their Bipartisan Index Scores to Discover How Well They Reach Across the Aisle.
The Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index is analyzed by Georgetown University, in partnership with the Lugar Center. Refer to *Footnotes below summarizing measurement metrics.
Candidate Scores for Members of U.S. Senate
Vice President Joe Biden (DE)
Sen. Michael Bennet (CO)
Sen. Cory Booker (NJ)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
Sen. Kamala Harris (CA)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA)
Candidate Scores for Members of U.S. House of Representatives
Rep. John Delaney (MD)
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI)
Rep. Seth Moulton (MA)
Rep. Beto O'Rourke (TX)
Rep. Tim Ryan (OH)
The Following Candidates Have Not Served As Members of the U.S. House or U.S. Senate; Therefore, Have Not Been Scored.
Gov. Steve Bullock (MT)
*Not Scored
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, IN)
*Not Scored
Mayor Bill de Blasio (NYC)
*Not Scored
Julian Castro
*Not Scored
Andrew Yang
*Not Scored
Marianne Williamson
*Not Scored
*Footnotes:
1. Scores noted for U.S. Senators featured above are derived from the lifetime Bipartisan Index study released in June 2019, which measures the legislative activities of senators serving at least 10 consecutive months between 1993 and 2018.
2. Index scores for U.S. House of Representatives featured above are based on legislative activities from the 115th Congress (2017-2018).
3. The 2020 Democratic Candidates who have not served in the U.S. Congress are noted with a *Not Scored.
Bipartisan Leaders Work Together.
The Lugar Center Turns Actions Into Data.
The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University jointly publish the Bipartisan Index on a yearly basis measuring legislative activities for half and full congressional sessions. The Bipartisan Index covers 13 full congresses, beginning with the 103rd Congress in 1993.
The most recent release of the index includes the lifetime Bipartisan Index rankings of U.S. Senators who have served 10 consecutive months since 1993.
About the Lugar Center
Founded by former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, the non-profit Lugar Center is a platform for informed debate and analysis of global issues, including nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, global food security, foreign assistance effectiveness, and global development, energy security, and enhancing bipartisan governance.