Analysis shows disproportionate departure of 'bridgers' in Congress
A disproportionate number of Capitol Hill's most collaborative lawmakers are leaving their seats this year either for retirement or to pursue a different office, according to an analysis from Bridge Pledge, a project that aims to counter political polarization.
The group awards "Bridge Grades" to lawmakers based on their collaboration, coalition building, consensus solutions, and commitments to bridging. Those with A or B grades are deemed "bridgers," while those with C or F are "dividers."
Their latest analysis found that out of the 53 lawmakers who are departing, 70 percent of those legislators are bridgers, despite there being an even split between bridgers and dividers in Congress overall.
Among the retiring bridgers are Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Garret Graves (R-La.), and Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
“I find that to be really troubling, because these are already bodies that have lost the art of collaboration,” Brad Porteus, executive director and founder of Bridge Pledge, told The Hill.
“There's going to be people at the table who don't have to share the same views as you. Would you rather have someone at the table who will listen and who will try to understand your point of view?” Porteus said.
The grading system incorporates more than a dozen metrics from six public data sources, including The Lugar Center, the Common Ground Committee and GovTrack, to assess members.
Porteus looked at additional factors, such as bills authored with sponsorship from opposite parties and volume of personal or partisan attacks. He then normalized the data to create a grading curve in which half of lawmakers had A/B grades and half had C/F grades.
The grades are also created in the context of each legislator’s district or state. For example, a singular collaborative act in a heavily red or blue district holds more weight than a similar act in a more purple one.
The analysis found that within the Senate, bridgers and dividers are relatively balanced across party lines, with 25 Democrats, 21 Republicans and three Independents receiving A's and B's. The House, however, isn’t quite the same story, with Democrats making up 56 percent of bridgers, compared to the GOP’s 44 percent.
The current top bridgers in the House are Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who is leaving the House to run for governor. Current top bridgers in the Senate include Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), none of whom are up for reelection.
This is the first election cycle Bridge Pledge has conducted its analysis. The project is affiliated with the Mediators Foundation, which backs efforts to reduce conflict in various ways. Porteus worked in corporate communications overseas before returning to the U.S. in January and launching the project.
In creating this system, Porteus hopes to help change the system that creates polarization and instead encourage voters to take a pledge to support bridgers.
With more extremist politicians garnering more attention from voters and within their respective parties, Porteus said there is a lack of incentive to be a coalition-builder and risk being ousted by the party base.
“When you look at the list of the bridgers and you look at the people who have F's, I recognize almost all of the names of people who are on that list,” he said. “And when look at the list of people who have earned A's, I don’t recognize those people.”
With this grading scale, Porteus and Bridge Pledge hope to give more recognition to the bridgers as opposed to the dividers.
“There’s an opportunity to nudge not only the composition of the bodies themselves to becoming more collaborative, but actually the culture within Congress towards a more collaborative way of legislating,” he said.
Date: |
Topics
-
Top stories - CBS News
Stunning images show Hurricane Milton from space
Images from space show the progress of Hurricane Milton towards the western coast of Florida.1 hour ago -
Politics - Politico
Milton threatens to trigger flood insurance reckoning for Congress
Lawmakers are preparing to step in if the hurricane overwhelms the National Flood Insurance Program.5 hours ago -
Business - CNBC
Photos show Florida preparations and evacuations ahead of Hurricane Milton
Local authorities said Wednesday that Floridians only have a few hours left to evacuate ahead of Milton, which is currently a Category 4 hurricane.56 minutes ago - Florida -
Sports - Yahoo Sports
49ers Overreactions: Is Purdy showing he's not worth $50M per year?
Matt Maiocco dives into the latest reactions and overreactions from San Francisco 49ers fans after a disappointing 2-3 start to the 2024 NFL season.4 hours ago -
Politics - Politico
Congress clears December spending patch, avoiding preelection shutdown
September 25 -
Politics - Politico
Capitol police chief: New intel bureau is key as Congress threats rise
5 days ago -
Politics - Politico
Biden: Congress 'may have to' come back to approve Helene relief
September 30 - Joe Biden -
Business - MarketWatch
Semiconductor stocks look relatively weak as S&P 500 attempts record, chart shows
Semiconductor stocks are rising this month, but the sector is relatively weak compared to the S&P 500 despite Nvidia’s recent surge, according to Bespoke Investment Group.56 minutes ago -
Politics - Politico
Congress poised to pass short-term funding bill ahead of campaign’s final stretch
September 25
More from The Hill
-
Politics - The Hill
Democrats are lost in space. Can Republicans do better?
Whoever wins the presidential election in November must make space infrastructure a priority.24 minutes ago - Republican Party -
Politics - The Hill
Why Hurricane Milton became so intense so fast — and why more storms may do the same
Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday in the Tampa, Fla., region after undergoing a rapid intensification this week that saw it become the third-fastest storm on ...34 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Wobble Tracker: Live updates on Hurricane Milton's path — and where it may make landfall
The Wobble Tracker can track “wobbles,” or small movements on the system’s path.43 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Medicare coverage of weight loss drugs would cost $35B: CBO
Expanding Medicare to cover weight loss drugs would cost $35 billion over eight years, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In its estimates released Tuesday, CBO ...44 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Supreme Court appears split on Oklahoma death row inmate’s fate
The Supreme Court appeared split over an Oklahoma death row inmate’s latest bid for freedom during arguments Wednesday, leaving his fate uncertain. Richard Glossip was convicted and sentenced to ...52 minutes ago