FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 25, 2011  

CONTACT: Clark Pettig
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Rep. Gary Peters Rated Most Moderate Member of Michigan Delegation from Either Party for Second Straight Year

National Journal Vote Ratings Released Today Show Peters among Most Independent in Congress

Washington, D.C. -- For the second straight year, Representative Gary Peters is the most moderate member of the Michigan delegation from either party, according to an annual study of congressional voting records released today.

The independent study produced by National Journal also ranked Rep. Peters as among the most centrist members of the entire Congress.

“I have a duty to consider ideas from the left and the right, and then make decisions based on the best policy for Oakland County, not party politics,” said Representative Peters. “Too many politicians in Washington would rather point fingers and blame the other party instead of working together to solve our problems. Neither party has a monopoly on good ideas, and I’ve been proud to work with both Republicans and Democrats to find common sense solutions to help our auto industry and create jobs here in Michigan.”

Peters received a ranking of 54.7% liberal and 45.3% conservative based on his voting record in 2010, meaning that Peters took the more liberal position on a vote only slightly more than half of the time. No other member of the Michigan delegation in the House of Representatives received a score closer to 50%, making Peters the most moderate member of the delegation from either party.

The full ranking of the Michigan delegation is below, beginning with the most moderate. Current members of Congress are in bold.

1.         Gary Peters, D 54.7% liberal (198th most liberal in the House)
2.         Mark Schauer, D 59.2% liberal (181st most liberal)
3.         Vernon Ehlers, R 59.7% conservative (171st most conservative)
4.         Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D 72.2% liberal (131st most liberal)
5.         Thaddeus McCotter, R 72.5% conservative (130th most conservative)
6.         Bart Stupak, D 73.0% liberal (127th most liberal)
7.         Mike Rogers, R 73.8% conservative (124th most conservative)
8.         Dale Kildee, D 74.8% liberal (114th most liberal)
9.         Fred Upton, R 76.3% conservative (114th most conservative)
10.       Candice Miller, R 77.3% conservative (106th most conservative)
11.       John Dingell, D 78.7% liberal (90th most liberal)
12.       Dave Camp, R 79.3% conservative (92nd most conservative)
13.       John Conyers, D 80.0% liberal (81st most liberal)
14.       Sander Levin, D 80.5% liberal (76th most liberal)

To view Representative Peters’ vote profile, click here: http://www.nationaljournal.com/2010voteratings?person=P000595

To view the full National Journal vote rating study for 2010, click here:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/2010voteratings

To view the 2009 vote ratings, in which Representative Peters was also ranked the most moderate member of the Michigan delegation, click here: http://www.nationaljournal.com/2009voteratings  

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