Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Marco Rubio, R-FL., topped the list of approximately 40 House and Senate Republicans who received a perfect conservative voting score from the American Conservative Union, sponsor of next month’s Conservative Political Action Conference.
The ACU released its annual rankings Thursday.
In the Senate, Rubio and Paul, who are both seen as possible 2016 presidential contenders, were awarded the Defenders of Liberty designation, receiving a “perfect 100 percent” score on their voting records,
Politico reports.
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They were joined by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; Mike Lee, R-Utah; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; and former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
Thirty-four House members were deemed Defenders of Liberty, among them Reps. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; Joe Wilson, R-S.C.; and Tom Price, R-Ga.
The ACU rates lawmakers on a variety of votes related to fiscal, foreign, and social policies, among other issues.
Key votes this year included the Keystone pipeline, tax cuts, defense spending, and spending oversight.
House Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Al Franken, D-Minn., were among the 20 Senators and 88 House members who the ACU judged to be “True Liberals,” each earning a score of 0 percent.
In a statement released Thursday, ACU chairman Al Cardenas lauded those who met the standards of his group, while condemning those who fell far short.
“On behalf of our entire board of directors, I applaud and thank the many senators and representatives who achieved perfect or high scores on our 2012 ACU Ratings of Congress,” Cardenas said.
“Their unwavering commitment to our shared conservative principles stands in stark contrast to the liberals in Washington who continue to want an expanded role for government at taxpayers’ expense.”
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