Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) break with President Trump more frequently than any other Republicans on Capitol Hill, according to a new analysis released Tuesday.
The study found that GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitch McConnell (Ky.) also regularly defy Trump’s agenda, while Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) are most aligned with their White House ally.
The figures were crunched by researchers at the Institute for Legislative Analysis (ILA), an organization closely affiliated with the Institute for Legislative Advocacy, a conservative group that promotes smaller government.
Their goal was to revive the “Trump Score,” a popular gauge of how closely lawmakers adhered to Trump’s agenda in his first term. That tool was launched in 2017 by FiveThirtyEight, which was dismantled earlier this year by ABC News, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company.
ILA has not only updated the rankings, it’s also expanded on them by analyzing a broader array of votes — not just bills, but also amendments and procedural motions that put lawmakers on the record. The analysts then cross-checked those votes against Trump’s “America First” platform, as adopted at the GOP National Convention in 2024, as well as the president’s statements of policy preferences.
The additional detail, the group says, lends a clearer window into which lawmakers are most in sync with Trump — or not.
“The media’s focus on high-profile bills and headline votes often creates the impression that members of both parties are unified in either their support for or opposition to President Trump and his policies,” Ryan McGowan, ILA’s CEO, said in a statement. “By now incorporating the often-overlooked procedural and amendment votes, it’s clear that — despite the rhetoric — a number of lawmakers’ voting records don’t truly align with the America First agenda they project on the campaign trail or in the media.”
By their methodology, ILA’s researchers found that Fitzpatrick voted with Trump least frequently among Republicans, at 51.37 percent. He was followed by Wicker (55.07 percent), Murkowski (55.71 percent), Collins (56.34 percent) and McConnell (59.15).
The analysis found that the Republicans who broke with Trump did so most often when the issue was related to government spending.
Among Trump’s closest allies, Biggs voted with Trump’s policy positions most frequently, at 97.27 percent, followed closely by Lee (97.10 percent); Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall (97.01 percent); Texas Rep. Chip Roy (96.96 percent); and Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen (96.43 percent).
Across the aisle, there were few surprises. Moderate Democrats representing purple swing districts sided with Trump most often. Leading the pack was Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), who voted with the president 49.86 percent of the time, followed by Maine Rep. Jared Golden (44.01 percent); Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (41.62 percent); North Carolina Rep. Don Davis (38.92 percent); and Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (33.97 percent).
The analysts found that Democrats who sided with Trump did so most often when the topic pertained to foreign policy or civil liberties, including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Trump’s sharpest detractors, meanwhile, were almost exclusively from the party’s liberal camp. Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) broke with Trump most often, voting with the president just 3.17 percent of the time, according to ILA researchers. He was followed by Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson (3.34 percent); Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib (3.95 percent); Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz (4.17 percent); and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (4.17 percent).
