Bipartisan efforts are increasing among elected officials

Meyers is editor-in-chief of The Fulcrum.

While much of the political discourse revolves around the hopelessly divided nation, there are a number of politicians who work across the aisle. To help voters identify such people, the Common Ground Committee rates elected officials and candidates on their bipartisan efforts. The Common Ground Scorecard was recently updated ahead of the 2024 election – and includes some record numbers.

The score card measures individuals in broad categories, including official actions, public statements, and promises for future behavior. For the first time, anyone earned a perfect score in the 2024 report card. In fact, four people earned 110 out of 110 points: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.), Sen. Maggie Hasson (D -Nev.) and Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.). Coincidentally, Bacon, Davis and Lee have all been mentioned recently finalists for the Democracy Awardsissued by the Congressional Management Foundation for outstanding public service on Capitol Hill.

“Hardworking families in Southern Nevada care less about political parties and more about common sense solutions. That’s why I’ve worked with Republicans to lower costs, create jobs, support law enforcement and keep Americans safe at home and abroad,” said Lee. “I am proud to have been named the most bipartisan member of Congress and will continue to work with my Republican colleagues to help Nevada’s families, small businesses, seniors and veterans.”

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This year saw a 53 percent increase in the number of people earning the title of ‘champion’ for achieving the highest scores, from 34 in 2023 to 52.

“Legislation requires cooperation just to get out of committees in Congress and qualify for a vote. That means partisanship gets in the way of finding solutions to the important problems facing our nation,” said Erik Olsen, co-founder and CEO of Common Ground Committee.

The average score of House of Representatives members, governors, and presidential candidates is 31, an increase of 3 points from the previous update and an increase of 6 points (25 percent) from the scorecard’s launch in 2020.

“This small increase is a sign that we are moving in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go,” Olsen said.

Among the ways people earn points are: Supporting bipartisan legislation (as measured by the Lugar Center). Two-part index), demonstrating bipartisan job approval ratings, holding public conversations or events with someone from the other party, serving on a selection of cross-aisle congressional meetings, promoting common ground in public communications (and losing points for derogatory or violent language) and reaffirming a set of common commitments developed by the CGC.

Individuals can earn 10 bonus points for “a bold, exceptional act that stands up for common ground.” This could include taking the lead on bipartisan legislation, writing a bipartisan op-ed, or winning a collaborative effort award.

Since April 2023, a number of individuals have made huge jumps in their scores.

The leader is Rep. Mike Lawler (RN.Y.), who raised 83 points for a total of 100. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) saw his score rise 77 points to 84. Nine others earned increases of at least 50 points. Both Lawler and Sorenson increased their scores by creating more bipartisan legislation, affirming the CGC’s Common Grounder Commitments, joining a bipartisan caucus, participating in public events with someone from the other party, an op-ed to write with someone from the other party and speak publicly about finding common ground.

According to Olsen, more and more members of Congress are involved in the Common Ground Committee and have been looking for ways to improve their scores.

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of members and employees contacting us to discuss how they can increase their scores and send us information about their bipartisan activities,” he said. “Sometimes this affects the scores, and sometimes it doesn’t. But there is a clear interest among certain members in pursuing bipartisanship.”

For example, last year CGC saw a 39 percent increase in the number of people agreeing to the Common Ground Commitments, including:

I will identify and set aside personal biases.
I will work to find agreement, progress and solutions.
I will listen first to learn perspectives and experiences.
I don’t assume it, but try to understand motives and intentions.
I will strive for results that everyone can live with, but I will not compromise on principles.
I accept that good people may disagree.
I will use and accept facts.
I will remain respectful.
I will resist demonization.
I will de-escalate hostile situations.

The scorecard also measures how the presidential candidates are performing. President Joe Biden’s score has held steady at 30 since January 2023, when it fell from a personal high of 45. His score is based on positive statements about finding common ground and winning an award for civility in public life of Allegheny College. Donald Trump’s score has never deviated from the lowest point of the scale: twenty negative points, based on his insults and crude descriptions of his political opponents. Neither Biden nor Trump received points – positive or negative – in other categories.

In addition to Trump, nine others received negative scores, including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Federica Wilson (D-Fla.), all of whom matched the negative 20 score former president.