This week, Vote Smart's researchers added statements on Trump and Putin from Congressional Officials, the Political Courage Test results from politicians from all across the country, including Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Collin Peterson, as well as the summaries for THREE Congressional Key Votes. Read it all, and MORE on this week's Wrap-Up!
MAJOR EVENTS FROM THE WEEK:
PCT Responses:
Two long-standing members of Congress-- House Majority Conference Chair Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Collin Peterson-- took Vote Smart's Political Courage Test this week. Read McMorris-Rodgers' answers here, and Peterson's here.
Primary Candidate Information:
There are 2,301 candidates running in Congressional Primary elections this year! That's up from 2,002 candidates in 2016 and 1,666 candidates in 2014. We have completed full biographical research on all of them! For these candidates, our researchers have entered and released 2,648 addresses and 14,709 web addresses.They can be found on the elections page of the website HERE!
Trump and Putin (Helsinki):
Interested in your politicians' views on President Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki? See everything that they've said in the past week on the subject. Read up on the statements from Congress Officials HERE.
Special Interest Group Ratings:
Vote Smart has released over 55,000 ratings for politicians so far this year! They are listed on the Interest Groups page of the website, which you can browse HERE!
ELECTIONS: By Pete and the Elections Research Team Endorsements: Vote Smart has released 12,500+ endorsements so far this year. See who is really backing your candidates HERE.
If you would like to see how your representatives or candidates are rated by Special Interest Groups, check out your candidate's ratings page, as shown by the example HERE.
Ratings:
We have released over 55,000 ratings for politicians so far this year! They are listed on the Interest Groups page of the website, which you can browse HERE!
You can filter these rating scorecards by both STATE AND ISSUE, which allows you to easily find how interest groups are rating your representatives based on the subjects that matter to you.
Political Courage Test & Elections Info: There are 2,301 candidates running in Congressional Primary elections this year! That's up from 2,002 candidates in 2016 and 1,666 candidates in 2014. We have completed full biographical research on all of them! For these candidates, our researchers have entered and released 2,648 addresses and 14,709 web addresses.They can be found on the elections page of the website HERE! What is the Political Courage Test? Find out HERE!
This week our researchers finished testing Congressional candidates in 10 states, measuring their Political Courage and recording their positions on the major issues! that matter to you! Click on a candidate's "Positions" folder to see their answers, as shown in the example HERE! If the candidate did not take the test, we researched their issue positions using their public records to produce their reports. - The ten states released this week are: Tennessee, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Washington, Hawaii, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont.
Congressional Candidate Lists:
Vote Smart has released congressional candidate lists released for all 41 states that have released certified ballots for 2018 Primary Elections. These candidates are all found on the elections page of the website as searchable here.
All 49 states with Primary elections (Louisiana doesn't do Primaries) have released their candidate lists! Our researchers have completed full biographical research for all Congressional candidates in these races. These candidates are all found on the elections page of the website HERE.
OFFICIALS:
By Annie and the Officials Research Team
Public Statements:
Vote Smart added 2,143 statements to its database this week! Find them all through targeted key-word searches.
Some newsworthy topics include:
- Russia
- Tariffs
Key Votes:
There were ten key state votes, and three Key Votes in Congress this week. Read all about the vote by following the bolded links below.
- HR 3281: Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act, which authorizes the transfer of federal infrastructure projects and lands to non-federal entities.
- HR 200: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, which increases catch limits for certain fish populations .
- PN 1645: Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit.
UP NEXT:
The next major primary election in on August 7th, which leads us into the bulk of the midterm election season. Tennessee has their primary election on August 2nd.
If you are in Tennessee, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, or Washington:
Know who your candidates are and what they stand for. Use our tools so that you can go to the polls and VOTE SMART!
Vote Smart is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing accurate, unbiased information and making it accessible to all. Our expenses are paid entirely by donations. If you would like to support us defend democracy and fight ignorance, please help us if you can. Every dollar makes a difference. Fight for the Facts! Donate to Vote Smart!