By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
Three percent of all state legislators graded an A and 87% of legislators had a failing grade in the Liberty Scorecard Colorado ratings released Friday following the close of the 74th General Assembly.
The annual study found the three lawmakers most strongly adhering to the principles of the U.S. Constitution through their legislation and votes are the same from last session, with a different order.
Rep. Ken DeGraff, an El Paso County Republican ranked second last session, earned an A-grade and topped the list with a score of 95 this session. Rep. Stephanie Luck, a Freemont County Republican who was rated first last year, was rated third this session with an A grade and 92-point score. Ranking second was Rep. Scott Bottoms, an El Paso County Republican, with an A-grade and score of 94.
Each of the three were named Liberty Warriors. It marks consecutive years DeGraaf and Luck have earned the honor.
“To get a good grade means that you truly understand the proper role of government,” said Sue Moore, chairwoman of Liberty Scorecard. “We owe these principled legislators a debt of gratitude for fighting so hard for us down at the Capitol.”
The ratings are developed through a process of a Liberty Scorecard committee reviewing bills and taking a position of oppose or support, and then following the bill and each member’s action. This session, 534 of the 705 introduced bills were considered (75.7%) with the Liberty Scorecard supporting 113, or about 21.2% of the 534 bills.
The three members of the legislature to earn a B-grade and be honored as a Liberty Defender include Rep. Ron Weinberg, Sen. Kevin Van Winkle and Rep. Brandi Bradley. Weinberg rated fourth overall with an 89, a jump from his 12th-place rating last session. Van Winkle, who finished fourth last year with a lower score, was fifth with an 85. Bradley rose from ninth, with a failing grade last session, to sixth overall with an 84 this session.
The other legislators with a passing grade include Rep. Gabe Evans, Rep. Don Wilson, Sen. Mark Baisley, Rep. Ty Winter, Rep. Lisa Frizell, Rep. Ryan Armagost and Sen. Rod Pelton. All are Republicans. No other legislators got a letter grade better than a D or a score greater than 69.
The scorecard is often viewed as a measure of conservatism, with the group’s website reading “we are the conscience of the Colorado Republican Party.” As testament to that, no Democrat outscored the lowest-scoring Republican on the list. The highest scoring Democrat was Rep. Robert Marshall with a 35-point score. The lowest-scoring Republican was Sen. Cleave Simpson with a 48-point score.
Liberty Scorecard Colorado has been considering legislation since 2019 on the basis of individual rights, free markets and limited government and taking a position.
“Countless volunteer hours are spent reading bills, listening to committee hearings and examining the fiscal impact of each bill in order to come up with a position. The Liberty Scorecard is by far the most comprehensive legislative scorecard in Colorado,” Moore said.
To see where your legislator ranked and for more detail on methodology, visit libertyscorecardco.us or a printable version of the scorecard is available here. The 2023 scorecard is also available here.