Understand the bias, discover the truth in your news. Get Started
Politician Ratings
Help
After claiming your profile, you will have access to advanced analytics and custom features. Why Claim Your Politician Profile?

Jim McDermott

Democrat, Washington
Former US House of Representatives

Jim McDermott is an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Washington's 7th congressional district from 1989 to 2017. Prior to this, McDermott served in the Washington Senate and the Washington House of Representatives. Jim McDermott was born on 12/28/1936. Based on voting history, policy positions, and public statements, Jim McDermott demonstrates a Center political bias. Compare Jim McDermott with other politicians in our Politician Bias Chart.

Analyst Rating
Help
Biasly’s analyst team evaluates politician twitter accounts, voting records, and statements made in the press to determine leanings. Our diverse analyst team includes equal representation from conservative, center, and liberal viewpoints on every article we rate.

Very Left

A.I. Policy Leanings
Help
Our policy leanings for Jim McDermott show what policies Jim supports and opposes including Jim's conservative and liberal leanings based on the news.

0% Center

Extremely
Liberal

Very
Liberal

Moderately
Liberal

Somewhat Liberal

Center

Somewhat Conservative

Moderately
Conservative

Very
Conservative

Extremely
Conservative

-100%
Liberal

100%
Conservative

*Our bias meter rating uses data science including sentiment analysis, machine learning and our proprietary algorithm for determining biases in news articles. Bias scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores being more liberal and higher positive scores being more conservative and 0% being neutral. The rating is an independent analysis and is not affiliated nor sponsored by the news source or any other organization.

A.I. Media Portrayal
Help
The A.I. media portrayal of Jim McDermott shows how positively or negatively the media portrays Jim. Negative and positive sentiment scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores showing that more media companies see Jim in a negative light and higher positive scores showing that more media companies see Jim in a positive light.

70% negative

Jim McDermott’s Policy Stances

Left
Center
Right
  • Criminal Justice
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Gov. Dependency
  • Healthcare
  • Immigration
  • National Security
  • Reduce Budget Deficit
  • War on Drugs
  • Criminal Justice
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Government Dependency
  • Healthcare
  • Immigration
  • National Security
  • Reduce Budget Deficit
  • War on Drugs
Scroll ----->
  • Stances

  • Media Portrayal

  • Policy Leanings

  • News Mentions

  • Creations

  • My Articles

  • Contact

  • Criminal Justice

    Very Left

    Jim McDermott has a strongly liberal stance on criminal justice issues. He has consistently voted against harsher sentencing and the death penalty, and in favor of rehabilitation programs and alternative sentencing. McDermott supports measures to reduce recidivism, such as expanding services for offenders' re-entry into society and allowing rehabilitated drug convicts to get student loans. He has also advocated for stricter sentencing for hate crimes and more funding for DNA testing. Overall, McDermott's criminal justice policy leans towards Very Left.
    Source: On the Issues

  • Economy

    Somewhat Left

    Jim McDermott's economic policy leans towards the liberal side of the spectrum. He has advocated for policies that aim to support low-income families and the working class, such as expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. McDermott has also pushed for increased government investment in areas like healthcare, education, and infrastructure. However, he has also supported some more conservative measures, such as free trade agreements. Overall, McDermott's economic stance can be characterized as Somewhat Left.
    Source: Wikipedia

  • Education

    Very Left

    Jim McDermott has a strongly liberal stance on education policy. He consistently voted against school vouchers and in favor of increased funding for public schools, including $40 billion for green public schools. McDermott also supported measures to improve access to higher education, such as extending subsidized federal student loan rates. Overall, McDermott's voting record indicates a commitment to strengthening the public education system and expanding educational opportunities, particularly for low-income and disadvantaged students. Based on the information provided, Jim McDermott's education policy leans towards Very Left.
    Source: Citizens for Public Schools

  • Energy

    Very Left

    Jim McDermott has a Very Left stance on energy policy. He has consistently voted in favor of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and measures to address climate change, such as establishing a market-based system for greenhouse gas emissions trading and requiring automakers to produce more fuel-choice vehicles. McDermott has also opposed policies that would expand fossil fuel production, like drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Overall, his energy policy positions reflect a strong commitment to transitioning the US towards a low-carbon economy. Based on the information provided, Jim McDermott's energy policy leans towards Very Left.
    Source: Issues 2000

  • Government Dependency

    Very Left

    Jim McDermott appears to have a Very Left stance on government dependency. He has advocated for policies that would expand the social safety net, such as a single-payer healthcare system that would eliminate private insurance and provide universal coverage. McDermott has also co-sponsored legislation to increase voter access and participation, which could be seen as reducing barriers to government assistance programs. Overall, McDermott's views on government dependency seem to align with a progressive, left-leaning approach that prioritizes expanding the role of government in supporting citizens' wellbeing.
    Source: Cascade PBS

  • Healthcare

    Very Left

    Jim McDermott's healthcare policy stance is firmly on the liberal end of the spectrum. He has been a long-time advocate for a single-payer, universal healthcare system, introducing the American Health Security Act in 2015 to provide comprehensive coverage for all Americans. McDermott criticized incremental healthcare reforms as insufficient, arguing they fail to make insurance affordable for the uninsured and ignore the needs of employees who buy their own coverage. He was particularly critical of medical savings accounts, seeing them as a giveaway to insurance companies that would drive up costs and discourage preventive care. Overall, McDermott's healthcare policy leans Very Left.
    Source: The Hill

  • Immigration

    Somewhat Left

    Jim McDermott appears to have a liberal stance on immigration policy. He has introduced bills to promote family unity in immigration, prevent discrimination against immigrants based on religion, and provide access to counsel for vulnerable immigrant populations. McDermott's immigration policy leans towards being Somewhat Left, as he advocates for reducing automatic deportation and detention, restoring due process, and repealing unnecessary barriers to legal immigration.
    Source: Library of Congress

  • National Security

    Very Left

    Jim McDermott has a strongly liberal stance on national security issues. He has consistently voted against measures that expand the government's surveillance and intelligence gathering powers, such as opposing the PATRIOT Act and warrantless wiretapping. McDermott also favors reducing military spending, ending the war in Afghanistan, and establishing a Department of Peace. However, he supports strengthening rail and port security. Overall, McDermott's national security positions lean towards a Very Left approach that prioritizes civil liberties and diplomacy over aggressive military action.
    Source: On the Issues

  • Reduce Budget Deficit

    Somewhat Left

    Congressman Jim McDermott appears to take a Somewhat Left stance on reducing the budget deficit. While he acknowledges the need to address the deficit, he opposes automatic budget cuts that would impact critical programs like the National Institutes of Health. McDermott introduced a bill to protect NIH funding, prioritizing investments in biomedical research over across-the-board spending reductions. His approach suggests a willingness to maintain or even increase certain government expenditures, rather than pursuing strict deficit reduction measures.
    Source: LegiStorm

  • War on Drugs

    Very Left

    Jim McDermott has a Very Left stance on the war on drugs. He has consistently voted against measures that increase funding and enforcement for the war on drugs, such as opposing military border patrols to battle drugs and terrorism, and voting against more funding for Mexico to fight drugs. Instead, McDermott supports legalizing medical marijuana, excluding industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana, and allowing rehabilitated drug offenders to get student loans. Overall, McDermott's stance on the war on drugs is Very Left.
    Source: On the Issues

Why Claim Your Politician Profile?

Claim your profile on Biasly and gain control over how
you’re represented. As a verified politician, you can:

Edit Your Profile

Including your biography and other public-facing information.

Clarify Stances

Customize your stances on this page for certain political issues.

Communicate Directly

Allow voters and users to follow your profile which you can send messages to from the Biasly platform.

Publish Blog Posts

Publish articles, opinion pieces, and important updates directly to your profile.

Upload Materials

Upload campaign materials, images, or supporting documents.

Be Transparent

Share accurate contact details for transparency to your desired audience.

See Advanced Analytics

Track how news outlets cover you with interactive bias charts.

Compare Politicians

Compare your politician profile and stances against other politicians with visual bias charts.

Scan Politician Speeches

Scan your politician speeches, articles with our bias checker. See what leanings you have and how to improve the speech.

If you want to go further, you can also sign up for Biasly’s Politician Bias Analytics Platform to track sentiment,
perception, and bias ratings over time. Email sales@biasly.com to get started, or if you have any questions.

How It Works
  • Claim Profile and Verify Your Identity – Our secure process ensures only authorized individuals can claim their profile.
  • Start Sharing – Once verified, you'll gain full access to customize your politician profile and manage your content.
See a full list of features and pricing for the Politician Analytics Platform pricing page.

Our politician ratings are based on recent news using data science and A.I. technology. We analyze hundreds of articles published by news sources daily to determine politicians and policy leanings.