Methodolgy
For the second consecutive election, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) has released a scorecard meticulously calculating the support that Members of Congress have shown for Palestinians. This year, we have decided to exclusively assess Democratic Members of Congress, both in the House and Senate, and have opted not to score Republicans. This decision stems from our preliminary research that uncovered little to no discernible support for the Palestinian cause among elected Republicans.
Significantly, we have chosen to score Democrats alone and their stance following the events of October 7, 2023. This decision reflects the altered political landscape post-October 7, which has compelled many Democrats to make difficult decisions and demonstrate their positions on Palestine in an extraordinarily unique context.
Our methodology is based on two fundamental principles: objectivity and thoroughness. We have gathered every vote cast in the House and Senate, every “Dear Colleague” letter, whether supportive or not, every major piece of legislation related to Palestine that Members had the opportunity to introduce or cosponsor, and all significant statements made by Members on Palestine since October 7.
For us, the positions Members held before October 7 are now irrelevant due to the political and social paradigm shift.
Scorecard Calculations
We evaluated Members of the House of Representatives using a total of 42 elements, which included:
We evaluated Members of the Senate using a total of 23 elements:
We incorporated a curved grading scale to ensure our grading scale accurately reflects the complexities of the real world that may cause a Member to miss signing a letter, be absent from a floor vote, or other extraneous factors.
Note: We used two slightly different grading scales for the House and Senate to reflect the institutional differences between the two chambers.
House of Representatives Grading Scale
-
If the score is
0.88or higher
the grade assigned is
A
-
If the score is
0.79or higher but less than
0.88the grade assigned is
B
-
If the score is
0.69or higher but less than
0.79the grade assigned is
C
-
If the score is
0.59or higher but less than
0.69the grade assigned is
D
-
If the score is less than
0.59the grade assigned is
F
Weighted Scoring - House of Representatives
After establishing a grading scale, we evaluated Members based on their actions and positions in four categories:
Voting
60 percent of the score is based on voting records. The way Members voted on assessed legislation contributes positively or negatively to their score. Members marked as "Absent" are not penalized; their absence is not factored into their score.
Dear Colleague Letters
30 percent of the score is attributed to participation in "Dear Colleague" letters. We acknowledge that some offices may miss the opportunity to sign a letter due to its private nature, which we categorize as "no opportunity" and do not count against them. Additionally, we understand that Members might abstain from signing for strategic reasons, such as influencing others' willingness to sign. Therefore, we apply a 20 percent curve to this category. Despite this adjustment, it's notable that some Members generally perceived as "pro-Palestinian" may still receive low grades.
Statements
This category constitutes 5 percent of the overall score. While statements are important and merit consideration, we believe that actions—such as votes and legislative involvement—carry more weight. Statements without subsequent action are deemed less impactful.
Legislation
Cosponsoring legislation is weighted equally with statements, thus it also contributes 5 percent to the overall score. Given that only two pieces of relevant legislation have been introduced since October 7, we have decided it is insufficient to warrant a larger percentage.
Senate Grading Scale:
-
If the score is
0.85or higher
the grade assigned is
A
-
If the score is
0.79or higher but less than
0.85the grade assigned is
B
-
If the score is
0.6or higher but less than
0.75the grade assigned is
C
-
If the score is
0.5or higher but less than
0.6the grade assigned is
D
-
If the score is less than
0.5the grade assigned is
F
WEIGHTED SCORING - SENATE:
The grading scale for the Senate differs from that of the House of Representatives due to important institutional reasons. Senators’ influence is more significantly derived from their relationship with the Administration and the statements they make. While we evaluated Senators based on their actions and positions in the same four categories as House members, we weighed the categories differently:
Voting
We weighed Senators' votes to account for 30 percent of their total score. This is because Senators vote on less and sometimes different legislation compared to their House counterparts. Consequently, we felt this should have a smaller impact on their overall score.
Dear Colleague Letters
Participation in "Dear Colleague" letters constitutes 20 percent of the score. We acknowledge that some offices may miss the opportunity to sign a letter due to its private nature, which we categorize as "no opportunity" and do not count against them. Additionally, Members might abstain from signing for strategic reasons, such as influencing others' willingness to sign. Therefore, we apply a 20 percent curve to this category. Despite this adjustment, some Members generally perceived as "pro-Palestinian" may still receive low grades.
Statements
Statements account for 40 percent of the Senators' score. A Senator’s statement, whether in the form of a press release or floor speech, holds more weight than similar actions by their House counterparts. Senators often consider their statements more carefully, meriting a higher weight.
Legislation
We found only one piece of legislation meriting inclusion in our scorecard assessment on the Senate side that did not receive a vote (therefore being included in the Legislation portion instead of the Voting portion). Consequently, we weighed it at 10 percent of the final score. Although legislation is a stronger form of communication than a single statement, there has not been enough legislation to justify a higher weight for this section.
Key Findings
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For our Congressional scorecard, we analyzed over 20,000 cells of data denoting where Members have stood on the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, since October 7, 2023.
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House of Representatives
Regrettably, only four Congress members earned an "A" grade: Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, and Delia Ramirez. Representative Tlaib scored the highest with 96%, closely followed by Representative Bush at 93%. Five others achieved a "B" grade, including Representatives Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Summer Lee, Pramila Jayapal, and Jesús “Chuy” García. Additionally, five received a "C," four a "D," and the majority of Democratic House members, 195 or 91.5%, received an "F."
-
U.S. Senate
In the Senate, no Democratic senator scored higher than a "D." Senators Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, and Bernie Sanders each received a "D." All other Democratic Senators, along with Independents who caucus with them, received an "F," amounting to a 94% failure rate among the 51 Democratic Senators.
-
Conclusion
The grading reveals a concerning trend: 91.5% of Democratic House members and 82% of Senate Democrats received failing grades. This high failure rate suggests that there is a significant disconnect between our lawmakers and the people they claim to represent, 71 percent of whom, disagree with their, and the President's handling of the genocide on Gaza. Only a handful in the House received a "B" or higher, and in the Senate, only four managed a "B." These results should serve as a wakeup call for lawmakers to reassess where they stand. They are standing against the will of the people and as such are not reflecting them and in doing so, they are aiding and abetting a genocide.
