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This page was current as of the 2016 election.

2016 Presidential Election Date:November 8, 2016

Candidates Winner:Donald Trump (R) Hillary Clinton (D) •Jill Stein (G) •Gary Johnson (L) •Vice presidential candidates

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This article is about the ratings and scores that various political interest groups and organizations gave to 2016 presidential candidates. For candidates with previous experience holding elected office, ratings from 2014 and lifetime scores were also included. If you are aware of applicable ratings not listed here,please emaileditor@ballotpedia.org.

What's in this article?

Ballotpedia has broken down everything you need to know about 2016 presidential candidate ratings into the following sections:

1. Ratings bygeneral election andDemocratic andRepublican primary candidates
   
2. Ratings by organization
3. Organizations and methodology

Preceding these three sections are a brief definition and history of political rating systems, aguide on how to read them and atable highlighting abbreviations, the scoring scale used by each organization and the political description most commonly associated with each organization.

What are candidate ratings and how long have they been around?

Candidate ratings have a long history in American politics, and they have become an increasingly familiar part of the political landscape. Broadly defined, candidate ratings (sometimes called rankings or scorecards) are scores that various political, academic and media organizations assign to politicians based on voting records, issue stances, public statements and, more recently, campaign contributions.^[1] The political leanings of these organizations cover the full political spectrum.

The reasons and methods for rating politicians have changed over time and vary from group to group. When politically active organizations such as theAmerican Federation of Labor (AFL) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) pioneered the practice of rating elected officials in the early 20th century—in 1906 and 1919 respectively—they were primarily focused on advancing their own political interests. The AFL, for example, rated officials based on their stances or records on labor-related issues, while the NFU concentrated on farming issues. Both organizations advertised their ratings to their members and the general public as a way of attempting to shape voter preferences and to advocate for the candidates most closely aligned with their political interests. Numerous politically active organizations followed the NFU and AFL’s lead, and it wasn't long until groups dedicated to issues such as the environment, free markets, religion, family values, reproductive rights and civil liberties—amongst many, many others—were also rating politicians. One study estimated that by the timeRonald Reagan (R) ran for a second term in 1984, over 90 organizations were actively rating members of Congress and other politicians in the United States.^[2]

In the early 21st century, that number ballooned into the hundreds, and, today, groups dedicated to a whole range of different issues systematically rate elected officials and political candidates alike. But the rise of legislative and candidate ratings has also seen the emergence of objective rating organizations. These latter organizations use similar methodologies to those used by political interest groups—such as relying upon issue stances, public statements and voting records—but rate candidates objectively on a broad political spectrum and without regard to specific political issues or interests.^[3]

How do I read candidate ratings?

Abbreviations, scoring and political leanings

*L denotes "liberal." C denotes "conservative."

General election candidates

Note:Hover your cursor over the organization abbreviations in order to learn more about each organization's history, political leaning and scoring methodology.

Hillary Clinton (D)

Clinton served as thesecretary of state of the United States of America from January 21, 2009, to February 1, 2013, and as asenator fromNew York from 2001 to 2009. She lost theDemocratic presidential primary nomination toBarack Obama in 2008.[5] Clinton also served as first lady during her husband, PresidentBill Clinton's, two terms. She is the first former first lady to serve both in theU.S. Senate and in a president's cabinet.[6] Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac LPA 6.5L F 37% 2015 Crowdpac LPA 6.5L F 37%

Donald Trump (R)

Donald Trump is a businessman, financial investor and television personality. He announced his bid for the presidency on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower inNew York City. Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac LPA 5.1C F 59% 2015 Crowdpac LPA 0.4L F 55%

Gary Johnson (L)

Gary Johnson is the former two-term Republican governor ofNew Mexico. He ran as the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 2012 and received 1,275,971 votes in the general election. Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac 6.5C

Jill Stein (G)

Stein was the Green Party’s 2012 candidate for president. She entered politics in 2002 when the MassachusettsGreen-Rainbow Party asked her to run for governor of Massachusetts. Stein later represented the Green-Rainbow party in a race for state representative in 2004, in a race for secretary of state in 2006 and inMassachusetts' 2010 gubernatorial election. Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac 10+L

Democratic primary candidates

Bernie Sanders

Sanders is anindependent member of theU.S. Senate from the state ofVermont. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006. Sanders calls himself a democratic socialist and is a member of the Senate Democratic Caucus.[7][8][9][10] Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac LPA 8.2L F 39% 2015 Crowdpac LPA Heritage ACLU LCV NARAL 7.6L F 39% 15% 100% 100% 100% 2014 ADA CFG ACU NARAL ACLU USCC NTU LCV 95% 7% 4% 100% 100% 14% 5% 80%

Lincoln Chafee

Chafee served as thegovernor of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015 and as aU.S. senator from 2000 to 2007. In the Senate, he was aRepublican, and he ran for governor as anindependent. He joined theDemocratic Party on May 30, 2013. Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 0.3L F 51% 2014 CATO 57%

Martin O'Malley

O'Malley served as thegovernor ofMaryland from January 17, 2007, to January 21, 2015. He served as the chair of the Governor's Executive Council from 2007 to 2015 and the co-chair of the Council of Governors from 2013 to 2015.[11] Prior to his gubernatorial career, O'Malley served as themayor ofBaltimore from 1999 to 2007. Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 6.7L F 41% 2014 CATO 45%

Jim Webb

Webb was aU.S. senator fromVirginia from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2013. Webb served as the secretary of the Navy from 1987 to 1988 and in the United States Marines from 1968 to 1972.[12] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 5.4L F 57%

Clickhere to return to the abbreviations and scoring guide.

Republican primary candidates

Note:Hover your cursor over the organization abbreviations in order to learn more about each organizations' history, political leaning and scoring methodology.

Ted Cruz

Cruz is aRepublican member of theUnited States Senate fromTexas. He won election to the Senate on November 6, 2012.[13] He previously served as solicitor general of Texas from 2003 to 2008, and he argued 40 oral arguments, including nine before theU.S. Supreme Court.[14] Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac LPA 9.9C B+ 88% 2015 Crowdpac LPA Heritage ACLU LCV NARAL 9.5C B 85% 100% 38% 0% 0% 2014 ADA CFG ACU NARAL ACLU USCC NTU LCV 10% 92% 100% 0% 20% 71% 95% 0%

John Kasich

John Kasich is thegovernor ofOhio. He previously served in theOhio State Senate from 1979 to 1983 and in theU.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, representingOhio's 12th Congressional District. Kasich also ran unsuccessfully forpresident of the United States in 2000. Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac LPA 4.6C C 76% 2015 Crowdpac LPA 4.0C C+ 77% 2014 CATO 44%

Jeb Bush

Bush served as thegovernor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is the son of PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush and the younger brother of PresidentGeorge W. Bush. Bush was the first brother of a president to run for the office since Robert Kennedy in 1968. Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 5.1C B+ 87%

Ben Carson

Carson is a retired neurosurgeon. He worked as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University and as a professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatric medicine. He gained popularity with conservatives after his speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, where he expressed his dissatisfaction with PresidentBarack Obama's policies and the direction of the country.[15] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 7.5C B- 82%

Chris Christie

Christie is the currentgovernor ofNew Jersey. He was first elected in 2009. Prior to his gubernatorial bid, Christie served as theU.S. attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008. Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 3.4C D 67% 2014 CATO 56%

Carly Fiorina

Fiorina is the chairwoman of the American Conservative Union Foundation, the Unlocking Potential Project, Good360, and Opportunity International. She was chairwoman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005. Fiorina ran unsuccessfully forUnited States Senate inCalifornia in 2010. She was defeated by Sen.Barbara Boxer (D).[16] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 7.0C B- 81%

Lindsey Graham

Graham is aRepublican member of theU.S. Senate from the state ofSouth Carolina. He was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and most recently won re-election in 2014. Graham also representedSouth Carolina's 3rd Congressional District in theU.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2003.[17] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA Heritage 4.6C C+ 77% 46% 2014 ADA CFG ACU NARAL ACLU USCC NTU LCV 10% 58% 74% 0% 40% 100% 69% 0%

Mike Huckabee

Huckabee was the 44thgovernor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and a 2008 presidential candidate. He also hosted a show onFox News calledHuckabee, but he left the show before officially announcing his candidacy. Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 6.7C D 64%

Bobby Jindal

Jindal is the formergovernor of Louisiana. He was first elected in 2007 and wasre-elected to the position on October 22, 2011. He previously served as a member of theU.S. House of Representatives, representingLouisiana's 1st Congressional District from 2004 to 2008. Jindal was considered a possible candidate forMitt Romney's vice presidential running mate in 2012, but Romney chosePaul Ryan instead.[18][19] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 4.8C B 85% 2014 CATO 56%

George Pataki

Pataki served as thegovernor of New York for three terms between 1995 and 2007.[20] Pataki has since worked for the law firm Chadbourne & Parke LLP and founded a consulting firm with his former Chief of StaffJohn Cahill.[21][22] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 1.1C F 56%

Rand Paul

Paul is aRepublican member of theU.S. Senate from the state ofKentucky. Prior to being elected toCongress in 2010, Paul worked as an ophthalmologist.[23] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA Heritage 10C C 76% 83% 2014 ADA CFG ACU NARAL ACLU USCC NTU LCV 5% 95% 96% 0% 26% 75% 94% 0%

Rick Perry

Rick Perry served as thegovernor ofTexas from December 2000 to January 2015. Perry also ran for theRepublican nomination forpresident of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 7.0C 84% 2014 CATO 58%

Marco Rubio

Rubio is aRepublican member of theU.S. Senate from the state ofFlorida. He was first elected in 2010. Rubio was a member of theFlorida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008. Group Ratings: 2016 Crowdpac LPA 6.2C A- 92% 2015 Crowdpac LPA Heritage 6.5C A- 91% 90% 2014 ADA CFG ACU NARAL ACLU USCC NTU LCV 5% 92% 96% 0% 40% 75% 87% 0%

Rick Santorum

Santorum served as aU.S. senator fromPennsylvania from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2007. He also served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 18th Congressional District from January 3, 1991, to January 3, 1995.[24] He ran for theRepublican presidential nomination in 2012, but he ended his campaign on April 10, 2012.[25][26] Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 4.8C C+ 78%

Scott Walker

Scott Walker was elected as the 45thgovernor of Wisconsin in 2010. Two years later, he became the first governor in American history to survive a recall election, and he won re-election in 2014. Walker was a member of theWisconsin State Assembly from 1993 to 2002 and was the Milwaukee County executive from 2002 to 2010. Group Ratings: 2015 Crowdpac LPA 8.8C 91% 2014 CATO 58%

Clickhere to return to the abbreviations and scoring guide.

Ratings by organization

Featured in the tabs below are candidate ratings from 2015 and 2016. As new ratings are released, they will be added here and to the individual candidate profiles.

Crowdpac

General election candidates

Primary election candidates

Note: These scores were current as of July 2016.

LPA PAC

General election candidates

Primary election candidates

Note: These scores were current as of July 2016.

Organizations and methodology

American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a group ofnonprofit organizations that work together to preserve and promote civil liberties and constitutional rights through litigation, lobbying, communication and public education. With its national headquarters inNew York City, the ACLU has autonomous affiliates in all 50 states andWashington, D.C.^[27] Their rating system is centered on a collection of bills related to civil liberties, and the ACLU rates legislators depending on how they vote on these bills. The ratings featured above come from theFederal ACLU Scorecard - 113th Congress, Combined Sessions andFederal ACLU Scorecard - 114th Congress, Combined Sessions.

American Conservative Union

The American Conservative Union (ACU) is a conservative501(c)(4)nonprofit organization headquartered inWashington, D.C. Founded in 1964, the organization is responsible for the annualConservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). It began rating members of Congress in 1971 and focuses on votes related to taxes, spending, cultural issues, defense and foreign policy. As stated on its official website, the ACU aims to serve "as a dividing line to help separate those members of the U.S. House and Senate who protect liberty as conservatives and those who are truly liberal."^[28]

Americans for Democratic Action

The ADA is a liberal501(c)(4)nonprofit organization based inWashington, D.C., and refers to itself as the "nation's most experienced organization committed to liberal politics, liberal policies, and a liberal future."^[29][30] Founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, John Kenneth Galbraith, Walter Reuther, Arthur Schlesinger and Reinhold Niebuhr, the ADA has been issuing its Annual Voting Records since 1947. It focuses on 20 votes related to social and economic issues. Legislators receive five points for each vote that aligns with the ADA.^[31]

Cato Institute

The Cato Institute, founded in 1977 by Ed Crane and Charles G. Koch, is a libertarian501(c)(3)nonprofit organization. It describes itself as "a public policy research organization – a think tank – dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace."^[32][33] The scores used above are from the institute's 2014Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors. The report card grades governors from a "limited-government perspective." A high grade denotes a governor who cut taxes and decreased spending in the previous fiscal year. A low grade, by contrast, denotes a governor who raised taxes and increased spending. To provide some perspective on the scores shown above, it should be noted that the highest score that the institute awarded in 2014 was 78. The lowest was 19.

Club for Growth

The Club for Growth (CFG) is a fiscally conservative501(c)(4)nonprofit organization with an agenda focused on taxation and other fiscal issues. Its policy goals include cuts to income tax rates, a repeal of the estate tax, limited government and a Balanced Budget Amendment, entitlement reform, free trade, tort reform, school choice and deregulation.^[34] The Club for Growth PAC endorses and raises money for fiscally conservative candidates. CFG releases annual ratings of members of Congress centered on votes related to free markets and limited government.^[35]

Crowdpac

Crowdpac.com was a for-profit, nonpartisan voter education website that sought "to give politics back to people - to make it easier for citizens to learn about politicians, and to find and support political candidates that match their priorities and beliefs." Based in Palo Alto,California, and led by Steve Hilton, a former senior advisor to UK Prime Minister David Cameron and a visiting professor at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies,Crowdpac allowed users to view political candidates' policy positions and to make donations to candidates whose values align with their own. Crowdpac's scoring system was based on public statements, voting records and campaign contributions including contributions to the candidate as well as contributions from the candidate. Scores fell along a liberal/conservative spectrum, with 10L being the most liberal and 10C being the most conservative. A score of zero would indicate a political moderate.^[36]

Heritage Action for America

Heritage Action for America (HAA) is the501(c)(4) sister organization of the conservativeHeritage Foundation. Since its establishment in 2010, Heritage Action for America has advocated for a conservative policy agenda and rates members of Congress from a conservative perspective on a wide range of policy issues. While Congress is in session, HAA updates scores weekly. The scores featured here are lifetime scores.^[37]

Leadership Project for America PAC

TheLeadership Project for America PAC is a conservative501(c)(4)political action committee that supports candidates "who demonstrate a commitment to a governing agenda that promotes a free, virtuous, and prosperous America." LPA PAC rates candidates in light of three broad categories: character, leadership skills and commitment to limited constitutional government. The organization also factors in vulnerability/electability issues. The third category—commitment to limited constitutional government—includes issues such as free market economic principles, strong national security principles and American exceptionalism.^[38]

League of Conservation Voters

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is a liberal501(c)(4)nonprofit organization that, according to its mission statement, "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environment candidates who will champion our priority issues." Its ratings are based on how members of Congress vote on legislation related to climate change, energy usage, wildlife conservation, public health and public lands. It provides newscorecards every year.^[39]

National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

NARAL, founded in 1969 as the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, is a501(c)(4) pro-choicenonprofit organization that "uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion."^[40] It rates members of Congress on how they voted on abortion-related legislation. The2014 Scorecard hinged on three key Senate votes.

National Taxpayers Union

The National Taxpayers Union is a501(c)(4) taxpayer advocacynonprofit organization founded in 1969. The NTU describes its mission as "to protect every single American's right to keep more of what they've earned" and "to ensure that all Americans are able to pursue their dreams without the heavy hand of government holding them back."^[41] It annually rates members of Congress based on votes related to taxes, spending and debt.^[42]

United States Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, abbreviated above as USCC, is a501(c)(6) pro-business advocacy organization.^[43][44] The Chamber was founded in 1912 and annually ranks members of Congress on votes related to the economy and finances. Its2014 Senate Scorecard revolved around eight pieces of legislation. Senators received 12.5 points for each vote that aligned with Chamber interests.

See also

• Presidential candidates, 2016
• Important presidential campaign dates, 2016
• Presidential election, 2016/Polls
• Presidential election, 2016/Straw polls
• Presidential election, 2016
• Economic, social issues top concerns in state legislative scorecards

External links

Footnotes

v • e 2016 United States Presidential Election Overviews 2016 presidential election •2016 presidential candidates •2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules •2016 vice presidential candidates •Possible vice presidential picks Candidate profiles Hillary Clinton Donald Trump Jill Stein Gary Johnson Path to the presidency Republican Convention •Republican Primary Democratic Convention •Democratic Primary Policy positions Abortion •Defunding Planned Parenthood •Agricultural subsidies •Black Lives Matter movement •Budgets •Education •Energy and environmental policy •Federal assistance programs •Federalism •Foreign affairs •LGBTQ rights •Government regulations •Healthcare •Immigration •DACA and DAPA •International trade •Rural policy •Taxes On the campaign trail Ballotpedia's battleground poll •Presidential campaign trackers and opposition researchers Campaign staff Presidential campaign staff transfers, resignations and terminations •Staff leaks from 2016 presidential campaigns Clinton staffers •O'Malley staffers •Sanders staffers Bush staffers •Carson staffers •Christie staffers •Cruz staffers •Fiorina staffers •Huckabee staffers •Kasich staffers •Paul staffers •Rubio staffers •Santorum staffers •Trump staffers Debates PBS, February 11, 2016 (Milwaukee) •PBS, February 4, 2016 (Durham, N.H.) •NBC News, January 17, 2016 (Charleston, S.C.) •ABC, December 19, 2015 (Manchester, N.H.) •CBS, November 14, 2015 (Des Moines) •CNN, October 13, 2015](Las Vegas) February 13, 2016 (Greenville, S.C.) •ABC, February 6, 2016 (Manchester, N.H.) •Fox News, January 28, 2016 (Des Moines) •Fox Business, January 14, 2016 (North Charleston, S.C.) •CNN, December 15, 2015 (Las Vegas) •Fox Business, November 10, 2015 (Milwaukee) •CNBC, October 28, 2015 (Boulder) •CNN, September 16, 2015 (Reagan Library) •Fox News, August 6, 2015 (Cleveland) Analysis The media's coverage of Donald Trump •The media's coverage of Hillary Clinton Post-debate analysis overview Democratic:April 14, 2016 (CNN) •March 9, 2016 (Univision) •March 6, 2016 (CNN) •February 11, 2016 (PBS) •February 4, 2016 (MSNBC) •January 17, 2016 (NBC) •December 19, 2015 (ABC) •November 14, 2015 (CBS) •October 13, 2015 (CNN) Republican:March 10, 2016 (CNN) •March 3, 2016 (FNC) •February 25, 2016 (CNN) •February 13, 2016 (CBS) •February 6, 2016 (ABC) •January 28, 2016 (FNC) •January 14, 2016 (FBN) •December 15, 2015 (CNN) •November 10, 2015 (FBN) •October 28, 2015 (CNBC) •September 16, 2015 (CNN) Insiders Poll: First Democratic debate (October 13, 2015) •Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton remains choice of Democratic Insiders •Presidential Nominating Index: Bush remains choice of Republican Insiders •Insiders Poll: Winners and losers from the Fox News Republican Debate