Study: Pelosi sets caucus record

WASHINGTON — House Democrats set a record in 2019 for party unity, a testament to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ability to manage a caucus marked by a large progressive wing alongside 31 Democrats in districts won by President Donald Trump in 2016.

The average Democratic representative voted with the party on 95% of the votes that split a majority of Democrats from a majority of Republicans, higher than at any time since CQ Roll Call began studying partisan voting in 1956.

This was a testament to Pelosi’s skills as a manager. Marc Sandalow, a former San Francisco Chronicle reporter who’s written a Pelosi biography, explains: “Pelosi is among the most liberal members and represents a liberal district, but her leadership style is pragmatic.”

Democrats’ extraordinary unity in 2019 is also the continuation of a trend in which representatives willing to cross party lines are fewer, and the parties more clearly sorted.

In an era when congressional races reflect the national partisan divide, fewer lawmakers in competitive districts are even attempting to distinguish themselves as moderates. That’s a testament to their personal beliefs and the view that campaigns are won by energizing base voters, not by winning independent ones. It’s also a calculation that partisan voting will spur campaign contributions from activist partisans across the country. To some representatives in competitive seats, it’s more important to have a big campaign war chest that enables an election-year advertising blitz than a voting record that reflects a community’s views.

This takes nothing away from Pelosi. House Democrats’ record unity score exceeded their previous mark of 93 percent, set in 2017 at a time when the caucus was 40 members smaller and more ideologically progressive, made up mainly of liberal stalwarts in safe districts.

Braving the bumps Pelosi lost one of her Trump-district Democrats in January: New Jersey’s Jeff Van Drew opposed the impeachment of Trump and switched parties.