"2006 Congressional Vote Ratings"

Political Wire:

The latest National Journal vote ratings finds Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) the most liberal member of the Senate in 2006 and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) the most conservative. In the House, Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA) was the most liberal and former Rep. Jim Ryun (R-KS) was the most conservative.

Of the four Democratic senators who are running for president, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) had the most liberal score in 2006. He was followed by Sens. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

Among the three Republican senators who have formally declared their candidacy for the White House, or are seriously considering a run, the most conservative in 2006 was Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), followed by Sam Brownback (R-KS)and then Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

Key takeaway: "Clinton was markedly more moderate in 2006 than Obama, who was the 10th-most-liberal senator overall."

Cross-posted at www.seattleforbarackobama.com.