Election Year Moderation

Congressional Quarterly highlights waning support for President Bush as Republicans prepare for a tough election in November.

Until last year, Bush had historically high support scores among Republicans: No GOP president had done as well among fellow party members since 1953, when Congressional Quarterly began tabulating these things. Not even Ronald Reagan could boast of Bush’s degree of support.

GOP House members voted Bush’s way between 80 percent and 89 percent of the time on roll calls where he took a clear position during his first six years. Among Republican senators, his average support score had been even higher, reaching 94 percent twice, in 2001 and 2003.

In both chambers, Bush’s support faded a bit in 2007, but this year it has fallen through the floor. The average House Republican supported him just 63 percent of the time in 2008, and the average GOP senator, 68 percent.

The chart below highlights some of the more blatant attempts at election year moderation, especially among Senators facing tough reelection battles. The percentages in the chart show how often the Senator in question supported Bush on roll call votes. For the original and complete chart, follow the link to the CQ article.