Meet The Most Hard-Core Conservatives In Congress

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, center, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, walk to a closed-door meeting in the Old Senate Chamber on Monday, July 15, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Inside the conservative orbit, the Club For Growth’s scorecard is a rite of passage. The influential pressure group issued its 2013 rankings today of House and Senate members who most consistently voted for its tea party agenda.

In the Senate, to nobody’s surprise, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) led the pack with perfect scores of 100 percent. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was in third place with 97 percent.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had 87 percent, and Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) had 93 percent. Both face re-election this year.

Nineteen senators — all Democrats, and not including new senators or those who stepped down in 2013 — were tied for last place with 0 percent.

In the House, four lawmakers got 100 percent scores: Reps. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Matt Salmon (R-AZ) and Davis Schweikert (R-AZ). An additional 22 Republicans received scores of 90 to 99 percent.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) was ranked 131st with 68 percent; Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy was 189th with 53 percent, and Budget Chair Paul Ryan was 70th with 79 percent.

Read the club’s full rankings of Senate and House lawmakers.

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