In the News
The Common Ground Scorecard has been in the news. See the latest articles and scroll down for press releases.
Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08) has been named a Common Ground Champion on the Common Ground Scorecard for his ongoing efforts to work across party lines on important issues to move the country forward. He has earned a score of 71 out of 110 points, putting him in the Top 10 percent of all elected officials for finding common ground with his colleagues in Congress on both sides of the aisle.
While much of the political discourse revolves around the nation being hopelessly divided, there are a number of politicians who are working across the aisle. To help voters identify such people, the Common Ground Committee measures elected officials and candidates on their bipartisan efforts. The Common Ground Scorecard was recently updated in advance of the 2024 elections — and includes some record numbers.
Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08) has been named a Common Ground Champion on the Common Ground Scorecard for his ongoing efforts to work across party lines on important issues to move the country forward. He has earned a score of 71 out of 110 points, putting him in the Top 10 percent of all elected officials for finding common ground with his colleagues in Congress on both sides of the aisle.
The non-partisan Common Ground Committee released a new 2024 Common Ground Scorecard that reaffirmed U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen’s (D-NV) position as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress. Senator Rosen was recently recognized as one of the top 10 most bipartisan members of the Senate for the third year in a row. She has also been named one of the most effective Democratic Senators and the most centrist member of the Nevada congressional delegation.
The nonpartisan Common Ground Committee (CGC) once again ranked U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger as the most bipartisan Member of Congress from Virginia — and gave her the fourth-highest score of any lawmakers in the country.
The CGC’s latest Common Ground Scorecard gave Spanberger a score of 100 out of 100 points, putting her in the top one-half of one percent of all elected officials for finding common ground with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Spanberger’s score is 71 points higher than the average score of 29 — making her the most bipartisan elected official from Virginia and tied for fourth place in the entire country.
A watchdog group is out with their annual bipartisanship ratings for Congress and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire) tops the list.
U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) has been named the most bipartisan member of Congress by the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee. Senator Hassan is the first elected official to ever receive a perfect score on the committee’s scorecard of those who embody the spirit of bipartisanship and find common ground and areas of agreement with others.
I'm already the second-most bipartisan member of the U.S. House, Senate and all governors, according to the Common Ground Committee. Out of 585 people, I’m No. 2. And yet I'm a progressive.
Democrat Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32) entered his name into the US Senate race in early May.
In August, Allred was named one of the most bipartisan members of the House by the Common Ground Committee. According to Allred’s website, The Common Ground Scorecard analyzes the degree to which elected officials are able to work across party lines and garner bipartisan support. Allred earned a score of 79 out of 100 points, placing him in the top 4% of all elected officials. He is the highest-scoring elected official in Texas.
In a historically fraught time marked not only by partisan gridlock but also a remarkably incohesive Republican Party, the House GOP could soon elect a speaker with a remarkably thin legislative track record and precious little experience building the bipartisan consensus he would soon need.
Trone said he believes his reputation for bipartisanship will also impress voters — in Baltimore and in every corner of the state. In 2022, the Common Ground Committee, a nonpartisan organization working to reduce political polarization and incivility, ranked Trone as the 12th most bipartisan member of the 535-member Congress.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has been rated the most bipartisan member of the U.S. Senate, as he faces what could be his toughest re-election battle yet in deep-red West Virginia.
The centrist Democrat tops a list of all 100 senators compiled by the Common Ground Committee, a nonprofit dedicated to highlighting bipartisanship in U.S. politics. He’s followed by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
If you've never heard of Don Bacon, you can count yourself among the 82 percent of American voters who are unfamiliar with the Republican congressman from Nebraska; Rep. Bacon has just 18 percent name recognition among Americans, yet Don Bacon is worth knowing in that he ranks among those politicians with the strongest record of working across the aisle to solve problems.
On the other hand, 72 percent of American voters have heard of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican representative from Georgia who ranked on our Common Ground Committee Scorecard as the most hyper-partisan politician in our study.
The Michael Smerconish Program
It's easy to feel that our country is more divided than ever, but I've made it my mission to break through those divisions and find consensus. It's because of that work that Common Ground Committee ranked me in the top 3% of bipartisan members of Congress and that I was able to get four bills signed into law under President Donald Trump.
"We've been getting calls and emails from folks saying that they see their score and would like to get a better score ... the point of this isn't to be rigid ... we want our elected officials to say 'hey look I'm doing the right thing" .. and we think it's important to highlight when people are getting it right. There's a lot of press out there that really focuses on the divide and the fights between the parties. So when people work together, we want to spotlight it and show that it is not only possible but it actually happens with more frequency that we believe the electorate is aware of."
-Bruce Bond
Listen to the Interview Here
Congresswoman Luria was named one of the most bipartisan members of Congress in 2021 by the Georgetown University Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy’s Bipartisan Index, a non-partisan ranking that measures how members of Congress work with each other. The Bipartisan Index also ranked Congresswoman Luria as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress for the 116th Congress.
In August, the Common Ground Committee, a nonpartisan, citizen-led organization committed to improving political discourse, named Congresswoman Luria as one of the highest-scoring lawmakers in working across the aisle on issues that matter to constituents. The 2022 Common Ground Scorecard awarded Rep. Luria a score of 90 out of a possible 110 points with an average overall score of for members of 29 points.
Just in time for the midterms, a new lawmaker ranking scorecard is taking a holistic look at lawmaker’s actions and words when determining whether they’re working with lawmakers across the aisle, Emily Wilkins reports.
The Common Ground Scorecard, from the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee, tracks members’ statements and press releases for mentions of bipartisanship, notes if they’ve joined a caucus like the Problem Solvers and also deducts points if a member personally insults a political opponent.
As the most bipartisan member of Congress according to the Common Ground Committee, the vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and the most productive member of the Minnesota delegation according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking, I am already walking the walk. I can't do it alone, however, so I call on principled Republicans, independents and Democrats alike to join me in my mission to restore faith in government and protect our inalienable rights. Everyone's invited!
Governor Laura Kelly has been named a “Common Ground Champion” for her bipartisan leadership and commitment to working across the aisle to deliver results for Kansans. This recognition comes from the Common Ground Committee (CGC), a nonpartisan organization devoted to improving public discourse in politics, as part of their Common Ground Scorecard of elected officials. She is the highest-ranking elected official in Kansas and the second highest-ranking governor in the country.
In her first term, Governor Kelly signed 286 bipartisan bills into law.
Not everyone believes that the trend is irreversible, however. The Common Ground Committee, a non-partisan organisation, has launched a “score card” to assess the degree to which elected public officials and candidates for office seek points of agreement. Bruce Bond, co-founder and chief executive of the committee, argues that bipartisanship can actually be a selling point in the midterms.
He said via Zoom: “Because politics have become national and if I’m a Republican I’m going talk about inflation, and if I’m a Democrat I’m going to talk about the Dobbs decision [by the supreme court on abortion], there’s now a little bit more interest in saying, ‘I have this strong position on this issue and I agree with my base but I also can work with people from the other side’.”
One longtime friend of the Monitor has an idea. Ahead of this fall’s elections, the Common Ground Committee is relaunching its scorecard, which measures governors and members of Congress not by where they stand on issues, but by their willingness to work across party lines. (You can see it here.) At a time when congressional scorecards are often used to reinforce partisanship, the head of Common Ground sometimes gets odd looks when he talks to congressional staffers.
Elaine Luria has ranked as one of the most effective members of the U.S. House of Representatives and is among the top 10% for bipartisanship. The Common Ground Committee, a nonpartisan, citizen-led group, has given Luria a score of 90/110 for her bipartisan efforts.
When Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law this summer, he and congressional Democrats celebrated the enactment of the first significant gun control policy in decades in the US.
Speaking at an event in Washington organized by the Common Ground Committee, Murphy credited the anti–gun violence movement and an engaged citizenry in forcing Congress to finally act nearly a decade after the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in his home state of Connecticut.
Former Republican congressman Will Hurd, who joined Murphy at Tuesday’s event, acknowledged the political pressure that members of his party face from some voters when they back new gun restrictions. Nodding to the widespread public support that policies like universal background checks and a higher age limit for gun purchases enjoy, Hurd encouraged his former colleagues to take proactive steps to prevent future tragedies.
A new evaluation from the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee (CGC) showed that U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) is one of the top-10 members of Congress who works across the aisle with Republicans. CGC’s 2022 scorecard, released this month, showed Slotkin’s score is 97 out of 100, putting the Congresswoman in the top-10 of all U.S. House members, Senators, and Governors in the country. The average score is 29.
Trone, Ruppersberger labeled as bipartisan champions
U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) received a “90” on a congressional scorecard measuring bipartisanship based on four factors: overall performance, personal actions, communications and commitments.
Trone, who represents the 6th District, received 10 bonus points as an “outstanding common grounder.”
Trone earned the designation as a bipartisan “champion” with the best score in the Maryland federal delegation and one of the highest in the nation, according to the Common Ground Committee.
U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-39) was named a Common Ground Champion for her commitment and record of breaking through partisan gridlock to get things done in Congress.
Rep. Kim is one of 28 members of Congress to achieve this recognition from the Common Ground Committee (CGC), a nonpartisan organization devoted to improving public discourse in politics. Her Common Ground score is the highest of any elected official in California, in the top 10 of Republican elected officials and in the top 20 of all elected officials in the United States.
“Americans are divided over the direction of the country and how to solve many issues we currently face. To make progress, leaders must be committed to working across the aisle and finding solutions that address all our citizens’ concerns,” said Erik Olsen, co-founder of CGC. “But while they are divided on issues, Americans agree that they want to see their representatives work together and solve problems. We hope that more lawmakers follow Rep. Young Kim’s lead and make a commitment to finding common ground.”
Insisting he doesn’t compromise his values or break campaign promises, Republican Congressman Don Bacon is touting the top score in the nation from a group that promotes “more progress, less division” from the country’s top politicians.
At the same time Bacon’s score—a near perfect 104 out of 110—puts him well ahead of Nebraska’s three statewide elected officials, according to the Common Ground scorecard.
KINGSTON, N.Y. – U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, will be the guest speaker at the Wednesday, Jan. 26, Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast meeting at The Venue Uptown in the Best Western Plus, 503 Washington Ave. in Kingston.
Delgado recently was named the “most bipartisan Democratic member of Congress” in the Common Ground Scorecard, according to his website, delgado.house.gov. The Common Ground Scorecard was released prior to the 2020 election and updated in October 2021 by the Common Ground Committee (CGC), a nonpartisan, citizen-led organization devoted to improving public discourse in politics.
The Common Ground Committee nonprofit said Tuesday afternoon that Rep. Joe Neguse, the Democrat from Lafayette, is improving the tenor in the nation's capitol by improving himself.
The Common Ground Committee nonprofit said Tuesday afternoon that Rep. Joe Neguse, the Democrat from Lafayette, is improving the tenor in the nation's capitol by improving himself.
The infrastructure bill recently passed by Congress is a rare example of bipartisanship in government. But the Common Ground Committee, which strives to find a central point from which the parties can work together, is hoping its ratings system will provide guidance for more cross-partisan collaboration.
The Common Ground Scorecard rates the president, vice president, governors, and members of the House of Representatives and Senate on their willingness to collaborate across partisan lines. First released in September 2020, the data updated last month.
Nebraska’s top political leaders drew markedly different scores for cross-party collaboration from a nonprofit’s new national ratings developed to help voters and encourage bipartisanship.
The Common Ground Committee rated Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon as top in the nation for his willingness to work with others. He scored 108 out of a possible 110 points.
U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado is the fourth most bipartisan member of Congress and the most bipartisan Democratic member, according to the Common Ground Scorecard.
The scorecard, compiled by the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee, is used to assess the degree to which elected officials and candidates for office seek points of agreement on social and political issues through listening.
U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) has been recognized as Congress’s fourth most bipartisan Member of Congress and the most bipartisan Democratic Member of Congress in the Common Ground Scorecard. The Common Ground Scorecard, compiled by the Common Ground Committee, is the first-ever model to assess the degree to which elected officials and candidates for office seek points of agreement on social and political issues through listening and productive conversation.
U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, has been recognized as the fourth-most bipartisan member of Congress, and the most bipartisan Democratic member of Congress, in the Common Ground Scorecard.
According to a media release from Delgado's office, the Common Ground Scorecard, compiled by the Common Ground Committee, "is the first-ever model to assess the degree to which elected officials and candidates for office seek points of agreement on social and political issues through listening and productive conversation."
[Abigail] Spanberger consistently has ranked in the top five most bipartisan members of Congress by groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and this past year, she was the highest-ranking Democratic House member, senator or governor for her efforts to build consensus as measured by the Common Ground Scorecard. Because of that bipartisan approach, Spanberger narrowly won re-election in November.
A nonpartisan organization has a new tool to help Michigan voters identify elected leaders and candidates for office who are willing to reach across the aisle.
The Common Ground Scorecard evaluates the degree to which politicians will work with members of the opposing party through listening and productive conversation.
Familiar faces in New York’s 22nd Congressional District are once again contending for its top spot.
Incumbent Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica, will again take on Claudia Tenney, a Republican from New Hartford, whom he ousted from the seat two years ago by fewer than 4,500 votes.
Brindisi authored four bills signed into law by President Trump during his freshman term and was named the most bipartisan member of Congress by the Common Ground Committee.
Fred Upton is the sort of congressman everyone says they want — a pragmatist who places the needs of his district above partisan politics and reaches across the aisle to find workable solutions.
The Common Ground Committee honored Upton as one of its champions for his tireless work to end gridlock.
During her time in Congress, Rep. Abigail Spanberger has worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass legislation that helps her constituents. So much so, she has earned the recognition of being named the third most bipartisan member of Congress by Common Ground Committee.
Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is a long, skinny puzzle piece made up of suburban and rural enclaves to the west of Richmond and Fredericksburg. It’s here that political analysts say we’re seeing one of the nation’s closest election races taking shape.
Both Spanberger and her campaign have stressed that she is bipartisan; two weeks ago, the nonprofit Common Ground Committee named her the highest-ranking Democrat among U.S. House Members, U.S. Senators and U.S. governors “who seeks points of agreement and solutions on social and political issues through listening and productive conversation.”
The two congressmen representing Oswego County are among the most bipartisan in Washington, according to a recent report, which scored Rep. Anthony Brindisi as the most bipartisan lawmaker in the nation’s capital.
No member of Congress was better at reaching across the aisle than Brindisi, R-Utica, according to Common Ground Committee (CGC), a nonprofit group that describes itself as “devoted to improving public discourse in politics,”
Congressman Anthony Brindisi, a Democrat seeking re-election in a district where his party is outnumbered in registration 171,000 to 144,000, is being recognized as the highest ranking elected official in Congress for his efforts to promote bipartisanship and common ground in divided government according to a national group called the Common Ground Committee.
Congressman Anthony Brindisi is being recognized as the highest ranking elected official in Congress for his efforts to promote bipartisanship and common ground in divided government according to a nationally recognized group: the Common Ground Committee.
It also reflects her recent recognition by the nonprofit Common Ground Committee “as the third-highest ranking elected official in the country … for her strong record of bipartisanship in the U.S. House.” In announcing this recognition, the committee’s co-founder, Erik Olsen, said, “There is a hunger among Americans to see their representatives work together. We hope that more lawmakers follow Congresswoman Spanberger’s lead and make a commitment to finding common ground.”
New Common Ground Scorecard Rates Hawaii Politicians' Commitment to Seek Agreement on Issues That Matter to Voters
Newly released voter assistance tool scores HI politicians’ success at working across the aisle.
On Sept. 21, the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee named Rep. Spanberger the top Democrat—in the U.S. House, Senate or any governor’s office. This commendation is well-deserved.
Sixth congressional district candidates U.S. Rep. Fred Upton and state Rep. Jon Hoadley debated for the first time Monday morning on local radio station WKZO.
Upton led the debate Monday with opening statements about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected every Michigander. He touted his 34 years in office, calling himself a “problem solver. He also boasted that he was named the most bipartisan politician from Michigan and ranked 11th in the whole country, according the Common Ground Committee – a national nonpartisan, citizen-led organization.
Democrat Murphy Celebrates Bipartisan Rating
In a time when a number of Florida Democrats are receiving criticism for their partisan voting record, some are standing by it and others are not commenting on the matter.
One Florida Democrat is celebrating a scorecard received by the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee Inc., which was released on Monday. In the scorecard, Florida rep. Stephanie Murphy (D), is listed as a bipartisan member of the Florida House.
Politics: Area candidates focus on farmers
The Common Ground Committee, a citizen-led nonprofit aimed at bipartisan problem solving, released its Common Ground scorecard of U.S. Senators and Representatives, and state governors last week.
Cooperation with other political party varies among Florida's congressional delegation
A new scorecard that rates governors, U.S. senators and U.S. House of Representatives members shows a wide range in how likely they are to work across the political aisle.
Why America needs you to vote for candidates who cooperate, not partisans who fight
Voters need a new mindset that makes willingness to find common ground a “must have” quality for any candidate.
The “new normal” that defined 2020 has made its presence known this election season. The upcoming presidential debates will not have in-person audiences. Door-to-door campaigning has mostly vanished. One thing that hasn’t changed in this climate is the rabid partisanship that has been synonymous with our politics for more than a decade.
Press Releases
- Susie Lee Press Release
- CGC ActiVote Joint Press Release
- 2022 Midterms National Press Release
- National Scorecard Press Release
- Arizona Scorecard Press Release
- Colorado Scorecard Press Release
- Florida Scorecard Press Release
- Georgia Scorecard Press Release
- Iowa Scorecard Press Release
- Michigan Scorecard Press Release
- Minnesota Scorecard Press Release
- Nevada Scorecard Press Release