Rating Group: Alliance for Retired Americans
2008 Positions
How to Interpret these Evaluations
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.
| State | Office | Name | Party | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Salazar | 90% | |||
| Loretta Sanchez | 90% | |||
| WA | U.S. House - 9 | Adam Smith | Democratic | 90% |
| Gordon Smith | 90% | |||
| Pete Stark | 90% | |||
| MN | Governor | Tim Walz | Democratic/Farmer/Labor | 90% |
| Jim Cooper | 89% | |||
| Peter DeFazio | 89% | |||
| WA | U.S. House - 2 | Rick Larsen | Democratic | 89% |
| Frank LoBiondo | 89% | |||
| Heath Shuler | 89% | |||
| John Barrow | 88% | |||
| Lynn Woolsey | 88% | |||
| FL | U.S. House - 16 | Vern Buchanan | Republican | 80% |
| Tom Carper | 80% | |||
| ME | U.S. Senate - Sr | Susan Collins | Republican | 80% |
| Wayne Gilchrest | 80% | |||
| Nicholas Lampson | 80% | |||
| Jim Matheson | 80% | |||
| Jon Porter, Sr. | 80% | |||
| Christopher Shays | 80% | |||
| NJ | U.S. House - 4 | Chris Smith | Republican | 80% |
| Arlen Specter | 80% | |||
| Claire McCaskill | 78% | |||
| Norm Coleman | 70% |
| State | Office | Name | Party | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Salazar | 90% | |||
| Loretta Sanchez | 90% | |||
| WA | U.S. House - 9 | Adam Smith | D | 90% |
| Gordon Smith | 90% | |||
| Pete Stark | 90% | |||
| MN | Governor | Tim Walz | DFL | 90% |
| Jim Cooper | 89% | |||
| Peter DeFazio | 89% | |||
| WA | U.S. House - 2 | Rick Larsen | D | 89% |
| Frank LoBiondo | 89% | |||
| Heath Shuler | 89% | |||
| John Barrow | 88% | |||
| Lynn Woolsey | 88% | |||
| FL | U.S. House - 16 | Vern Buchanan | R | 80% |
| Tom Carper | 80% | |||
| ME | U.S. Senate - Sr | Susan Collins | R | 80% |
| Wayne Gilchrest | 80% | |||
| Nicholas Lampson | 80% | |||
| Jim Matheson | 80% | |||
| Jon Porter, Sr. | 80% | |||
| Christopher Shays | 80% | |||
| NJ | U.S. House - 4 | Chris Smith | R | 80% |
| Arlen Specter | 80% | |||
| Claire McCaskill | 78% | |||
| Norm Coleman | 70% |