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Erik Paulsen's Ratings and Endorsements

Vote Smart displays all known interest group ratings for each candidate and official, regardless of issue or bias.

Keep in mind that ratings done by special interest groups often do not represent a non-partisan stance. In addition, some groups select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issue concerns. Nevertheless, they can be invaluable in showing where an incumbent has stood on a series of votes in the past one or two years, especially when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Website links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering performance evaluations are accessible by clicking on the name of the group.

With rare exceptions, Vote Smart displays interest group ratings as a 0-100 percentage. While many interest groups use percentages as ratings to begin with, please note that Vote Smart has translated some ratings to a percentage from a different rating system for consistency and ease in understanding. Please visit the group's website, email us at ratings@votesmart.org or call our Voter Information Hotline at 1-888-VOTESMART for more specific information.

91%
2017-2018
91%
2017-2018
80%
2016
91%
2015-2016
91%
2015-2016
74%
2015
88%
2015
58%
2014
70%
2014
76%
2011-2012
76%
2011-2012
68%
2011-2012
68%
2011-2012
85%
2009-2010
85%
2009-2010
89%
2017
100%
2016
91%
2015
100%
2014
92%
2013
93%
2012
93%
2011
45%
2014
45%
2014
78%
2015-2016
96%
2013-2014
90%
2011-2012
89%
2009-2010
78%
2017
76%
2016
73%
2015
78%
2013
72%
2012
74%
2011
89%
2010
76%
2009
100%
2013
63%
2013
82%
2013
58%
2009
80%
2009
68%
2018
70%
2017
65%
2017
72%
2016
71%
2016
71%
2015
64%
2015
68%
2014
72%
2014
70%
2013
73%
2013
65%
2012
64%
2011
92%
2010
72%
2009
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