One of the arguments used by conservative supporters of Congressman Fred Upton is that Upton is more conservative now than he used to be. Is there any merit to this argument?
To analyze this claim, we consider ratings issued by conservative groups over the years. This will make it easy to spot any trend.
Of course, the usual caveats apply. These ratings are calculated based on a selection of votes. The votes rated each year are different, but these groups use fairly consistent standards that allow comparison over time.
First up is American Conservative Union (ACU), which has been rating Congress since the 1970s. Their ratings for Upton’s entire tenure are graphed below.
A linear regression line is graphed along with the data. As you can see, the line is virtually flat, indicating no substantial change. There is actually a very slight decrease over time.
Upton’s two best ratings occurred in 2002 and 2010, both of which were years when Upton received serious primary challenges from the right.
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