Who’s the ‘most liberal’ House Democrat? It’s a 14-way tie

Chris Moody
·Political Reporter

National Journal on Tuesday released part of its annual breakdown of ideology in the House, naming former Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin "the most conservative" member of 2012 and calling a 14-way tie among Democrats for the title of "most liberal."

In 2011, National Journal found a 19-way tie for the title among Democrats.

Here's how the magazine measured it:

For the 2012 ratings, National Journal examined all of the roll-call votes in the second session of the 112th Congress—659 in the House and 251 in the Senate—and identified the ones that show ideological distinctions between members. Many votes did not make the cut—those that involve noncontroversial issues or that fall along regional lines, for instance. In the end, 116 votes in each chamber were selected and were categorized as economic, foreign, or social.

The magazine will release its full rankings on Feb. 21.