The label lags the record
Of the 8 members the record ranks as switchers, 2 had a voting record that crossed over before the label did. Shelby is one of them.
Shelby sided with the Democratic majority on 40% of contested legislation in the 103rd Congress, the last under D. In the 104th, the first under R, it was 9%. The 103rd already sat on the R side of 50%, so the record had crossed over before the label did.
This measure never reads a member’s own label. It asks what the Democratic majority did and what the Republican majority did, then compares. A change of label is one continuous line rather than a break, which is what makes it possible to see whether the record moved with the label or before it.
More often, the line breaks with the label
For 4 of the 8, the record moved with the label rather than before it: Campbell read 79% in the 103rd Congress and 23% in the 104th, the first under R; Deal read 66% in the 103rd Congress and 13% in the 104th, the first under R. For the other 2 the Congresses either side of the change are not next to each other, so the record does not say which moved first.
More switchers in the record
The control group
Sanders has held one label, I, across 18 Congresses, and sided with the Democratic majority on 96% of contested legislation. The measure reads the two party majorities, never the member’s own label.
A roll call counts only where the parties actually split — a majority of Democrats one way, a majority of Republicans the other. A party majority needs at least five of its members voting. Non-voting delegates are scored but never help form a majority.
Full methodology →