Quorum Plays #CupidOnTheHill with Bipartisan Valentines for Congress
This report was written by Quorum's Kevin King.
Quorum is back on Capitol Hill with our second annual Bipartisan Valentines campaign! This year, using Quorum’s comprehensive legislative database, we identified who each member has shared the most cosponsorships with across the aisle on bills and resolutions this Congress —that member is their Bipartisan Valentine <3.
In the event a member shares the same number of cosponsorships with two different legislators, the tie is broken by the percent of time the members have voted the same way this Congress.
Download our full list of Bipartisan Valentines to find your favorite member of Congress' match!
378 representatives share the most bipartisan cosponsorships with one of 53 representatives.
While each of the 431 members of the House sent a valentine, only 53 received them. Rep. Peterson (D-MN-7) led the chamber as the most likely to share cosponsorships with Republicans, receiving 88 valentines. Rep. Donovan (R-NY-11) was the most likely to share sponsorships with Democrats, receiving 78 valentines.
72 senators share the most bipartisan cosponsorships with one of 28 senators.
While each of 100 senators sent a valentine, only 28 received them. Sen. Collins (R-ME) led the chamber as the most likely to share cosponsorships with Democrats, receiving 28 valentines. Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) was the most likely to share cosponsorships with Republicans, receiving 14 valentines.
54 senators share the most bipartisan cosponsorships with one of eight female senators.
Despite making up 22 percent of the total chamber, females senators account for 54 of the 100 valentines. In fact, these valentines are shared amongst only eight female legislators including Baldwin (D-WI), Capito (R-WV), Collins (R-ME), Feinstein (D-CA), Heitkamp (D-ND), Klobuchar (D-MN), Murkowski (R-AK), and Shaheen (D-NH).
Reps. Jones (R-NC-3), Costello (R-PA-6), and Donovan (R-NY-11) share seven of the 10 strongest Bipartisan Valentine matches.
Rep. Shea-Porter (D-NH-1) has cosponsored 107 bills and resolutions with Rep. Jones (R-NC-3), the most of any pair in the House. Reps. Costello (R-PA-6) and Donovan (R-NY-11) account for five of the ten strongest bipartisan matches, with three and two valentine pairings in the top ten, respectively. Rep. Costello shared 105 cosponsorships with Rep. Peters (D-CA-52), 101 with Rep. Kilmer (D-WA-6), and 100 with Rep. Moulton (D-MA-6). Rep. Donovan also had multiple pairings in the ten strongest matches—with 104 mutual cosponsorships with Rep. McGovern (D-MA-2) and 102 with Rep. Engel (D-NY-16).
Senator Collins holds five of the ten strongest Bipartisan Valentine matches in the Senate.
Not only does Senator Collins share the most cosponsorships with 28 different Democrats in the Senate, but of her bipartisan matches five rank as the top 10 strongest in the chamber. Senator Rubio appears three times in the top ten with Senators Nelson, Coons, and Menendez. Four of the top 10 strongest matches feature senators from the same state.
Note: The following data analysis was conducted on 2/5/18.