Rand Paul scores 100% on CPAC conservative scorecard, while Cheney, Kinzinger flunk

The Conservative Political Action Coalition released its annual congressional scorecard on Monday, rating members of Congress by their fidelity to the conservative agenda during 2022.

CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp, in announcing the scores, lamented the cooperation of some Republican lawmakers in passing Biden administration legislative priorities.

"I wish I could say that Congress helped tackle the problems our country faced that I described in 2021 on these pages," he wrote in the opening pages of the report. "However, sad to say, they instead have poured oil on the fires of inflation, massive deficits, increasing crime numbers, and illegal migration by voting for the Biden left wing agenda.

"In some cases they were aided by RINO/establishment Republicans, many of them Old Bulls who announced their retirement, that stands out in the bills we rated. Perhaps most shameful is the 4,155 page, $1.7 trillion Omnibus spending bill passed two days before Christmas with Republican leadership's acquiescence."

The report rates each member of Congress on their conservative credentials based on more than 20,000 votes they made during the year. CPAC also highlighted several key bills the organization viewed as objectionable.

In the upper chamber, GOP Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Rand Paul (Ky.) earned perfect 100% scores and received the "Award for Conservative Excellence" that CPAC bestows on those scoring 90% or higher.

In the House, 14 GOP lawmakers earned perfect scores: Michael Cloud, Texas; Bob Good, Va.; Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ga.; Kevin Hern, Okla.; Jody Hice, Ga.; Jim Jordan, Ohio; Debbie Lesko, Ariz.; Thomas Massie, Ky.; Mary Miller, Ill.; Ralph Norman, S.C.; Scott Perry, Pa.; Matthew Rosendale, Mont.; Chip Roy, Texas; and Gregory Steube, Fla.

Unsurprisingly, most Democrats earned single-digit or even 0% scores. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin earned the highest score in his party, with a final mark of 16%. In the House, Maine Rep. Jared Golden scored 12%, making him the most conservative Democrat in the lower chamber.

Among Republican lawmakers, however, former Reps. Liz Cheney, Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, Ill., ranked among the lowest, earning a 54% and 29%, respectively. The lowest scoring Republican was Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who scored 24%. In the upper chamber, Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the lowest scoring Republican with 38%.

CPAC also included lists of House and Senate votes either against conservative proposals or in favor of left-leaning initiatives, which ranged from funding resolutions to efforts to eliminate COVID-19 regulations.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.