(The Center Square) – A new congressional voting report based on “biblically based principles” ranked Minnesota Republicans higher than Democrats.
The 2026 Congressional Biblical Business Index, released by the Christian Employers Alliance in partnership with the Institute for Legislative Analysis, analyzed more than 82,000 votes cast by all 535 members of Congress.
The report measured lawmakers’ alignment with what the organizations described as “biblically based positions,” examining issues including abortion, gender identity, religious liberty, law enforcement and economic policy.
“Too often, business rankings focus only on taxes and regulations,” said Margaret Iuculano, president of the Christian Employers Alliance. “These rankings are designed to help faith-based business leaders make informed decisions about where to invest, grow, and create jobs by showing business leaders where states are trending both economically and socially.”
Minnesota currently has 10 members in Congress, including eight members of the U.S. House and two U.S. senators. Four members of the delegation are Republicans and six are Democrats.
Among Minnesota lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad received the highest score in the delegation at 83.04%, ranking 119th nationally. U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer followed closely behind at 82.82%, while U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach received 82.38% and U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber earned 75.77%.
Democratic members of the delegation received significantly lower scores. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig posted the highest score among Minnesota Democrats at 10.67%, followed by U.S. Sen. Tina Smith at 10.29%, U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison at 8.44% and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 8.33%.
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum received a score of 4.48%, while U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar ranked last in the state delegation at 2.29%.
“The Christian Employers Alliance is proud to recognize Reps. Finstad, Emmer, and Fischbach with the 2026 Defender of Biblical Business Award for voting records that closely align with biblical principles,” Fred McGrath, president of the Institute for Legislative Analysis, exclusively told The Center Square. “We are especially grateful for Whip Emmer’s leadership in advancing pro-growth, pro-faith policies in Congress.”
According to the report, every bill considered during the most recent session of Congress was reviewed and lawmakers were evaluated based on whether their votes aligned with principles tied to “Scripture, limited government, and longstanding Judeo-Christian social principles.”
Compared to the 2024 index, several Republican members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation saw modest declines in their scores, while many Democrats posted increases.
Finstad dropped from 85.57% in 2024 to 83.04% in the latest report, while Fischbach declined from 85.50% to 82.38% and Stauber fell from 82.11% to 75.77%.
Among Democrats, Smith increased from 1.49% in 2024 to 10.29% in 2025, while Klobuchar rose from 1.49% to 8.33%. Klobuchar is running for governor in Minnesota this year. Omar increased from 0.51% to 2.29% (ranking her near last at 527th), and McCollum rose from 2.01% to 4.48%.
The latest report also reflected changes in Minnesota’s congressional delegation following the 2024 election cycle.
Freshman Democrat Morrison entered the rankings in 2025 with a score of 8.44%, replacing former U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who received a score of 13.77% in the 2024 report.
The Christian Employers Alliance said the rankings are intended to help faith-based employers evaluate political and regulatory climates across the country.
“They highlight where faith-based employers can most freely operate according to their religious beliefs,” Iuculano said. “And where lawmakers are most consistently voting in alignment with biblical principles.”
