MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The American Conservative Union (ACU) this week is rolling out its annual list of Alabama’s most conservative and liberal lawmakers, and the organization’s scores may come as a surprise to some legislator’s constituents.
ACU was founded in 1964 and refers to itself as the “nation’s oldest and largest conservative grassroots organization.”
“For more than fifty years, ACU has served as an umbrella organization harnessing the collective strength of conservative organizations fighting for Americans who are concerned with liberty, personal responsibility, traditional values, and strong national defense,” the group says on its website. “As America’s premier conservative voice, ACU is the leading entity in providing conservative positions on issues to Congress, the Executive Branch, State Legislatures, the media, political candidates, and the public.”
The organization has for years released annual conservative ratings for members of the United States House and Senate, and more recently began doing the same at the state level.
Here’s how Alabama legislature stacked up:
In 2015, the average Alabama Senate Republican scored 62% on a scale of 1-100, while the average Senate Democrat scored a 35%.
In the House, the average Republican scored a 48% and the average Democrat scored 46%, leaving very little gap between the two parties.
Only four lawmakers received the ACU’s Award for Conservative Achievement for scoring over 80%.
After calculating last year’s votes, Senators Bill Holtzclaw (R-Huntsville) and Slade Blackwell (R-Mountain Brook) and Representatives Ed Henry (R-Hartselle) and Mike Holmes (R-Wetumpka) were rated the legislature’s most conservative members.
Senators Holtzclaw and Blackwell, who were rated 86% and 85% respectively, were members of the Senate’s Gang of Nine, the small group of staunchly conservative lawmakers who refused to bend to pressure to raise taxes, consistently voting “no” and sometimes launching into filibusters of tax bills backed by their own party.
Holtzclaw, a Marine, also gained statewide attention last year for taking out a billboard in his district that said, “Governor Bentley wants to raise your taxes. I will not let that happen. Semper Fi.”
Blackwell, a successful real estate developer from Alabama’s most affluent city, is frequently mentioned as a possible statewide candidate.
Representatives Henry and Holmes, who were rated 82% and 81%, have almost identical voting records in the House, albeit with very different styles.
Holmes is a mild-mannered, longtime stalwart of local conservative grassroots organizations, including the Wetumpka Tea Party and the Elmore County Republican Party, of which he is a past chairman.
Henry is a north Alabama conservative firebrand who has become the most outspoken opponent of House GOP leadership. He is currently the Alabama co-chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
