A fundamental component of understanding Sam Graves as a Representative is being knowledgeable on stances on the issues as well as particular issues that he has strongly advocated for in the past. Many voters will cast their ballots on an issues basis, so knowing which way the Rep. sways can be a make or break deal.

Political Engines Research

VoteSmart’s “Positions” page gives a good look at Graves’ opinions on general, national political issues. Graves is about as by-the-books Republican as one could be these days. He falls hard to the right on issues of abortion, taxes, gun control, healthcare, and immigration. The one issue that he shows a little moderation towards is energy, Graves supports an increased investment in renewable energy, but does not support the government’s enforcement of regulations on carbon emissions. PoliticoPro was not at all helpful for this item, similar to the first. I instead directed my search to Politico’s flagship website and plugged in a search. As I said earlier, Graves is the Ranking Member of the House Transportation Committee, so a large majority of the articles that he is mentioned in have to do with the actions of that Committee or his statements made on their behalf. Congressional Quarterly narrowed Graves’ most important advocacies: Infrastructure reform and small businesses. Position articles discussed Graves’ push for a modernized revision of American infrastructure that could be achieved through the cooperation of President Trump and Congress. They also accounted for Graves’ strong faith in the success of small business as the driving force of the American economy. VoteSmart provided a baseline for Graves’ stances on many issues, using public statements and previous votes as citations for certain questions since Graves has not completed the “Political Courage Test” which is a tool that candidates and politicians can use to give VoteSmart direct answers and statements. Politico created access to news articles dealing with committee actions on infrastructure and small business, dealing less with Graves’ personal opinions and statements than it did with broad movements that Graves was a part of. When using Congressional Quarterly, I turned to the “Roll Call” page once again. Whereas Politico dealt with Graves’ support of certain issues through action, CQ contained more personal pieces from Graves himself, as well as opinions on his top priority advocacies. I feel that CQ gave the best insight into the issues that are most important to the Representative and how he has fought for those issues over the years.