Voteview | Joe Biden’s Party Loyalty in the Senate

Joe Biden’s Party Loyalty in the Senate

Jeff Lewis

October 23, 2023

How often did Joe Biden vote with Democrats?

Here I calculate the lifetime rate at which Joseph Biden sided with the plurality of his party when casting rollcall votes. For comparison, I also calculate the lifetime rate of party loyalty for all other Democratic senators with whom Biden served over this time in the Congress.

Reading the data

I begin by reading in the necessary data.

rollcalls <- read_csv("https://voteview.com/static/data/out/rollcalls/Sall_rollcalls.csv") %>% filter(congress>60)
members <- read_csv("https://voteview.com/static/data/out/members/Sall_members.csv") %>% filter(congress>60)
votes <- read_csv("https://voteview.com/static/data/out/votes/Sall_votes.csv") %>% filter(congress>60)

Calculating pary loyalty

I then calculate the rate at which all Democratic senators vote with their party over the their entire careers. Finally, I filter out just those Senators whose service in the Congress overlapped with Mr. Biden's. A member is said to have voted with her party if she cast a vote that matched those of the plurality of the Democratic caucus. Rollcalls on which the party was evenly divided are excluded.

map_vote <- c("y","y","y", "n", "n", "n", "nv", "nv", "nv")
all <- votes %>% 
          left_join(members, by = c("congress", "chamber", "icpsr")) %>%
          left_join(rollcalls, by=c("congress", "chamber", "rollnumber")) %>%
          filter(party_code == 100) %>%
          group_by(congress, rollnumber) %>%
          mutate(cast_code = map_vote[as.integer(cast_code)], 
                 party_yea = sum(cast_code=='y'), 
                 party_no = sum(cast_code=='n'),
                 party_cast_code = ifelse(party_yea > party_no, 'y', 'n'),
                 with_party = (party_cast_code == cast_code)) %>%
          filter(party_yea != party_no) %>%
          group_by(icpsr) %>%
          summarize(name = bioname[1],
                  state_abbrev = state_abbrev[1],
                  party_loyalty = sum(with_party)/sum(cast_code != 'nv'),
                  votes_cast = sum(cast_code != 'nv'),
                  min_congress = min(congress),
                  max_congress = max(congress)) %>%
          filter( max_congress >= 93, min_congress <= 111) %>%
          mutate(rank = rank(-party_loyalty)) %>%
          ungroup() %>%
          select(rank, everything(), -icpsr) %>%
          arrange(desc(party_loyalty))

write_csv(all, path="biden_party_loyalty.csv")

## Warning: The `path` argument of `write_csv()` is deprecated as of readr 1.4.0.
## Please use the `file` argument instead.
## This warning is displayed once every 8 hours.
## Call `lifecycle::last_warnings()` to see where this warning was generated.

Tabulating the results

Pulling out Mr. Biden,

biden <- all %>% filter(str_detect(name, "BIDEN"))

we find that he voted with the Democrats 86.2 percent of the time making him the 107th most loyal of the 177 Democratic senators with whom he served.

Here is a complete table:

all %>%
  knitr::kable(col.names=c("Rank", "Member", "State", "Party loyalty", "Votes Cast", "First", "Last")) %>%
  row_spec(c(biden$rank), 
           bold = T, background = "#f6fcba") %>%
  kableExtra::kable_styling(bootstrap_options = c("striped", "hover"),
                            font_size = 10, 
                            full_width = FALSE) %>%
  kableExtra::add_header_above(c(" "=5, "Congresses Served"=2))

					Congresses Served
Rank	Member	State	Party loyalty	Votes Cast	First	Last
1	GOODWIN, Carte P.	WV	1.0000000	40	111	111
2	KIRK, Paul G., Jr.	MA	0.9915966	119	111	111
3	BURRIS, Roland	IL	0.9843014	637	111	111
4	CARDIN, Benjamin Louis	MD	0.9762123	5465	110	118
5	FRANKEN, Al	MN	0.9746888	2410	111	115
6	KAUFMAN, Edward E. (Ted)	DE	0.9699842	633	111	111
7	WHITEHOUSE, Sheldon	RI	0.9670370	5400	110	118
8	COONS, Christopher A.	DE	0.9634503	4104	111	118
9	BROWN, Sherrod	OH	0.9624655	5435	110	118
10	CASEY, Robert (Bob), Jr.	PA	0.9619765	5444	110	118
11	DURBIN, Richard Joseph	IL	0.9619502	8594	105	118
12	REED, John F. (Jack)	RI	0.9596134	8691	105	118
13	SPECTER, Arlen	PA	0.9595142	494	111	111
14	STABENOW, Deborah Ann	MI	0.9586057	7344	107	118
15	MENENDEZ, Robert	NJ	0.9583780	5598	109	118
16	SHAHEEN, Jeanne	NH	0.9559351	4743	111	118
17	UDALL, Thomas (Tom)	NM	0.9558333	3600	111	116
18	SCHUMER, Charles Ellis (Chuck)	NY	0.9551497	8049	106	118
19	OBAMA, Barack	IL	0.9542683	984	109	110
20	CANTWELL, Maria E.	WA	0.9530047	7405	107	118
21	MURRAY, Patty	WA	0.9511809	10119	103	118
22	KLOBUCHAR, Amy	MN	0.9505421	5257	110	118
23	BENNET, Michael F.	CO	0.9499144	4672	111	118
24	CLINTON, Hillary Rodham	NY	0.9486418	2356	107	111
25	UDALL, Mark	CO	0.9478992	1785	111	113
26	AKAKA, Daniel Kahikina	HI	0.9465241	7293	101	112
27	MIKULSKI, Barbara Ann	MD	0.9458548	9493	100	114
28	WARNER, Mark	VA	0.9414013	4710	111	118
29	BOXER, Barbara	CA	0.9396851	7494	103	114
30	BEGICH, Mark	AK	0.9391354	1758	111	113
31	EDWARDS, John	NC	0.9367851	1661	106	108
32	JOHNSON, Timothy Peter (Tim)	SD	0.9360060	5313	105	113
33	DAYTON, Mark	MN	0.9347134	1884	107	109
34	CORZINE, Jon Stevens	NJ	0.9323510	1493	107	109
35	WYDEN, Ronald Lee	OR	0.9311041	8912	104	118
36	FEINSTEIN, Dianne	CA	0.9309683	9894	103	118
37	KERRY, John Forbes	MA	0.9301340	8731	99	113
38	GILLIBRAND, Kirsten	NY	0.9289979	4690	111	118
39	ROCKEFELLER, John Davison IV (Jay)	WV	0.9279185	9517	99	113
40	HAGAN, Kay	NC	0.9267481	1802	111	113
41	DASCHLE, Thomas Andrew	SD	0.9266896	6111	100	108
42	MERKLEY, Jeff	OR	0.9262760	4761	111	118
43	TESTER, Jon	MT	0.9250641	5458	110	118
44	NELSON, Clarence William (Bill)	FL	0.9219621	5382	107	115
45	LEAHY, Patrick Joseph	VT	0.9182909	17342	94	117
46	HARKIN, Thomas Richard (Tom)	IA	0.9178649	9667	99	113
47	CARPER, Thomas Richard	DE	0.9171630	7388	107	118
48	HUMPHREY, Muriel Buck	MN	0.9162996	454	95	95
49	LEVIN, Carl	MI	0.9162362	12583	96	113
50	SARBANES, Paul Spyros	MD	0.9134883	11143	95	109
51	SALAZAR, Kenneth Lee	CO	0.9132455	1291	109	111
52	LAUTENBERG, Frank Raleigh	NJ	0.9119592	9223	98	113
53	WOFFORD, Harris	PA	0.9098639	1176	102	103
54	ADAMS, Brockman (Brock)	WA	0.9096134	1914	100	102
55	REID, Harry	NV	0.9073307	9658	100	114
56	INOUYE, Daniel Ken	HI	0.9030437	16296	88	112
57	CARNAHAN, Jean	MO	0.9012945	618	107	107
58	DODD, Christopher John	CT	0.9007464	9914	97	111
59	DORGAN, Byron Leslie	ND	0.8973602	6099	103	111
60	GORE, Albert Arnold, Jr.	TN	0.8952465	2272	99	102
61	WEBB, James H. (Jim)	VA	0.8949416	1799	110	112
62	HUMPHREY, Hubert Horatio, Jr.	MN	0.8926185	6584	81	95
63	MITCHELL, George John	ME	0.8912521	5407	96	103
64	KOHL, Herbert H.	WI	0.8908112	7803	101	112
65	PRYOR, Mark	AR	0.8896882	3753	108	113
66	TORRICELLI, Robert Guy	NJ	0.8893757	1826	105	107
67	SANFORD, (James) Terry	NC	0.8891907	1841	100	102
68	BINGAMAN, Jesse Francis, Jr. (Jeff)	NM	0.8885622	9862	98	112
69	MOSELEY BRAUN, Carol	IL	0.8882784	2184	103	105
70	RIEGLE, Donald Wayne, Jr.	MI	0.8877784	7004	95	103
71	SYMINGTON, William Stuart (Stuart)	MO	0.8877472	6423	83	94
72	CLELAND, Joseph Maxwell (Max)	GA	0.8847368	1900	105	107
73	WELLSTONE, Paul David	MN	0.8845674	4011	102	107
74	KENNEDY, Edward Moore (Ted)	MA	0.8845585	15549	88	111
75	MATSUNAGA, Spark Masayuki	HI	0.8840468	5209	95	101
76	MUSKIE, Edmund Sixtus	ME	0.8834106	7119	86	96
77	MAGNUSON, Warren Grant	WA	0.8831169	10164	78	96
78	LANDRIEU, Mary L.	LA	0.8825345	5508	105	113
79	WIRTH, Timothy E.	CO	0.8804930	1866	100	102
80	BAYH, Birch Evans	IN	0.8794063	6468	88	96
81	MONDALE, Walter Frederick	MN	0.8786074	4366	89	94
82	SIMON, Paul Martin	IL	0.8776906	3949	99	104
83	EAGLETON, Thomas Francis	MO	0.8772638	7675	91	99
84	BURDICK, Jocelyn Birch	ND	0.8771930	57	102	102
85	MATHEWS, Harlan	TN	0.8762307	711	103	103
86	JACKSON, Henry Martin (Scoop)	WA	0.8760004	10621	83	98
87	LIEBERMAN, Joseph I.	CT	0.8742564	7396	101	112
88	WILLIAMS, Harrison Arlington, Jr.	NJ	0.8739691	8609	86	97
89	FOWLER, Wyche, Jr.	GA	0.8736349	1923	100	102
90	GRAHAM, Daniel Robert (Bob)	FL	0.8730609	5995	100	108
91	MOSS, Frank Edward (Ted)	UT	0.8729682	5660	86	94
92	CRANSTON, Alan	CA	0.8711701	9563	91	102
93	KERREY, J. Robert	NE	0.8708450	3941	101	106
94	PRYOR, David Hampton	AR	0.8703617	6441	96	104
95	CONRAD, Kent	ND	0.8699006	8555	100	112
96	HATHAWAY, William Dodd	ME	0.8693927	3277	93	95
97	SASSER, James Ralph	TN	0.8684475	6963	95	103
98	BUMPERS, Dale	AR	0.8676032	9396	94	105
99	LINCOLN, Blanche Lambert	AR	0.8668038	3889	106	111
100	ANDERSON, Wendell Richard	MN	0.8662352	927	95	95
101	BRYAN, Richard H	NV	0.8645731	4076	101	106
102	MOYNIHAN, Daniel Patrick	NY	0.8644713	8928	95	106
103	GLENN, John Herschel, Jr.	OH	0.8634812	9376	94	105
104	HASKELL, Floyd Kirk	CO	0.8634565	3032	93	95
105	McCASKILL, Claire	MO	0.8629265	3458	110	115
106	PELL, Claiborne de Borda	RI	0.8624412	13616	87	104
107	BIDEN, Joseph Robinette, Jr.	DE	0.8619853	12774	93	111
108	MONTOYA, Joseph Manuel	NM	0.8618173	4248	89	94
109	CLARK, Richard Clarence (Dick)	IA	0.8618161	3546	93	95
110	TUNNEY, John Varick	CA	0.8615385	2665	92	94
111	CULVER, John Chester	IA	0.8606791	3151	94	96
112	PASTORE, John Orlando	RI	0.8597830	7467	81	94
113	BURDICK, Quentin Northrup	ND	0.8574370	12142	86	102
114	BAUCUS, Max Sieben	MT	0.8569072	12125	96	113
115	McGOVERN, George Stanley	SD	0.8567568	6290	88	96
116	McINTYRE, Thomas James	NH	0.8566942	6050	88	95
117	STEVENSON, Adlai Ewing III	IL	0.8563033	5275	91	96
118	CHURCH, Frank Forrester	ID	0.8558258	7484	85	96
119	McGEE, Gale William	WY	0.8544776	5360	86	94
120	MANSFIELD, Michael Joseph (Mike)	MT	0.8543446	6790	83	94
121	HARTKE, Rupert Vance	IN	0.8528435	5117	86	94
122	ROBB, Charles Spittal	VA	0.8513712	4084	101	106
123	BAYH, Evan	IN	0.8508614	3889	106	111
124	HUGHES, Harold Everett	IA	0.8493095	2462	91	93
125	HART, Gary Warren	CO	0.8487880	5198	94	99
126	RIBICOFF, Abraham Alexander	CT	0.8473209	7316	88	96
127	HART, Philip Aloysius	MI	0.8437010	5739	86	94
128	BRADLEY, William Warren (Bill)	NJ	0.8420248	6539	96	104
129	HUDDLESTON, Walter Darlington	KY	0.8417490	5466	93	98
130	METCALF, Lee Warren	MT	0.8415985	5505	87	95
131	FEINGOLD, Russell Dana	WI	0.8413236	6195	103	111
132	METZENBAUM, Howard Morton	OH	0.8403856	7468	93	103
133	NELSON, Gaylord Anton	WI	0.8394576	7375	88	96
134	RANDOLPH, Jennings	WV	0.8352517	10252	86	98
135	FORD, Wendell Hampton	KY	0.8327508	9728	94	105
136	STEWART, Donald Wilbur	AL	0.8282828	891	96	96
137	BYRD, Robert Carlyle	WV	0.8274289	18630	86	111
138	TSONGAS, Paul Efthemios	MA	0.8271399	2395	96	98
139	GRAVEL, Maurice Robert (Mike)	AK	0.8266695	4702	91	96
140	HODGES, Kaneaster, Jr.	AR	0.8202960	473	95	95
141	DURKIN, John Anthony	NH	0.8180832	2765	94	96
142	ABOUREZK, James George	SD	0.8173790	2831	93	95
143	DIXON, Alan John	IL	0.8154619	4178	97	102
144	MANCHIN, Joe, III	WV	0.8135634	4114	111	118
145	CAMPBELL, Ben Nighthorse	CO	0.8120205	782	103	104
146	BREAUX, John Berlinger	LA	0.8108731	6070	100	108
147	MELCHER, John	MT	0.8092611	5075	95	100
148	HATFIELD, Paul Gerhart	MT	0.8081535	417	95	95
149	BIBLE, Alan Harvey	NV	0.8047734	5363	84	93
150	CANNON, Howard Walter	NV	0.7950697	8681	86	97
151	KRUEGER, Robert Charles	TX	0.7943925	107	103	103
152	CHILES, Lawton Mainor, Jr.	FL	0.7870532	8002	92	100
153	HOLLINGS, Ernest Frederick	SC	0.7843399	14240	90	108
154	DeCONCINI, Dennis Webster	AZ	0.7834628	6821	95	103
155	BENTSEN, Lloyd Millard, Jr.	TX	0.7819830	8825	92	102
156	EXON, J. James	NE	0.7780068	6793	96	104
157	FULBRIGHT, James William	AR	0.7653669	5873	79	93
158	SPARKMAN, John Jackson	AL	0.7597481	8258	79	95
159	JOHNSTON, John Bennett, Jr.	LA	0.7579520	9746	93	104
160	BOREN, David Lyle	OK	0.7396997	5728	96	103
161	NELSON, Earl Benjamin (Ben)	NE	0.7385027	3740	107	112
162	NUNN, Samuel Augustus	GA	0.7336585	10250	93	104
163	PROXMIRE, William	WI	0.7168495	12036	85	100
164	STONE, Richard Bernard	FL	0.7121258	3307	94	96
165	LONG, Russell Billiu	LA	0.7059826	11149	81	99
166	HEFLIN, Howell Thomas	AL	0.7037691	6792	96	104
167	SHELBY, Richard C.	AL	0.7013730	2622	100	103
168	MORGAN, Robert Burren	NC	0.6975309	3240	94	96
169	STENNIS, John Cornelius	MS	0.6562793	11713	80	100
170	ZORINSKY, Edward	NE	0.6404922	4470	95	100
171	TALMADGE, Herman Eugene	GA	0.6387047	7844	85	96
172	McCLELLAN, John Little	AR	0.6185925	8057	78	95
173	ERVIN, Samuel James, Jr.	NC	0.6185118	5510	83	93
174	EASTLAND, James Oliver	MS	0.5990314	8053	77	95
175	ALLEN, Maryon Pittman	AL	0.5979899	199	95	95
176	MILLER, Zell Bryan	GA	0.5525227	1209	106	108
177	ALLEN, James Browning	AL	0.5361111	4680	91	95

This table can be download as spreadsheet here.

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