Former member of Congress · last served 116th Congress

Lamar Alexander

REPUBLICAN U.S. Senator · TennesseeSenate 2003–2021

Lamar Alexander was a Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee, first elected to Congress in 2003, who voted with most Republicans on 88% of the 112th Congress’s yes/no votes and sponsored 7 bills that became law (113th–116th Congress).

Open full dossier →

130Bills & resolutions sponsored113th–116th Congress (excludes amendments)

11Passed a chamberof 92 substantive bills (excludes resolutions and ceremonial bills)

7Became law7 substantive + 0 ceremonial · 113th–116th Congress

29Broke with partyof 239 yes/no votes, 112th (12.1%)

12Missed votesof 251 roll calls, 112th (4.8%)

—Pork: own shareFY2024 earmarks: not in office

How we count: “Broke with party” is a yes/no roll call where the member voted against most of their own party on that vote (party as recorded; even splits not counted). “Pork: own share” splits each earmark shared by several members evenly among them.

5 most recent votes

YeaOn Passage of the Bill — American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Jan 1, 2013 · Bill Passed
Not VotingOn the Nomination — Nomination vote
Dec 30, 2012 · Nomination Confirmed
Not VotingOn the Nomination — Nomination vote
Dec 30, 2012 · Nomination Confirmed
NayOn Passage of the Bill — Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013
Dec 28, 2012 · Bill Passed
YeaOn the Amendment — Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013
Dec 28, 2012 · Amendment Rejected

5 most recent bills

S. 2967 Restore the Partnership Act
Dec 14, 2020 · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 617.
S.Res. 741 A resolution designating October 30, 2020, as a national day of remembrance for the workers of the nuclear weapons program of the United States.
Sep 30, 2020 · Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S5998; text: CR S5987)
S. 4375 Telehealth Modernization Act
Jul 30, 2020 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4635-4636)
S. 4322 Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act
Jul 27, 2020 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
S. 4247 Student Loan Repayment and FAFSA Simplification Act
Jul 21, 2020 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Top bills sponsored

S. 707 (109th) PREEMIE Act
Became law
S. 192 (114th) Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016
Became law
S. 3029 (115th) PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2018
Became law
S. 252 (113th) PREEMIE Reauthorization Act
Became law
S. 1881 (108th) Medical Devices Technical Corrections Act
Became law
S. 1124 (114th) WIOA Technical Amendments Act
Became law
S. 1177 (114th) Every Student Succeeds Act
Became law
S. 2319 (108th) Tapoco Project Licensing Act of 2004
Became law

Laws first, then bills that passed a chamber, were reported from committee, or drew the most cosponsors.

Elections Sen. Alexander has won

Sen. Alexander has won 3 U.S. Senate elections (2002, 2008, 2014). Of the contested races, margins ran from 9.9 to 33.5 points.

Democratic winRepublican winseat changed partyunopposed

Elections won3 in the data (1976–2024); losses are not listed

Closest win: 9.9 points2002, TN Senate

Won an open seat or took one from the other party1 of 3 elections (open seat or changed party)

Seat history, Tennessee Senate (class 2)Winners in regular elections, most recent three: Fred Thompson (R) 1996 → Lamar Alexander (R) 2002–2014 → Bill Hagerty (R) 2020. The seat is next on the ballot in 2026.

Full election history for this seat →

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. House V15 / U.S. Senate V8 (CC0), retrieved 2026-10-18; winners matched to member records by seat and term. Results run through the 2024 elections; nothing from 2026 is shown until it is certified. A margin is a fact about one election, never a score of how well a member represents anyone, and PORKER does not rank members by it.

How has Tennessee done while Sen. Alexander served?

2005 to 2019 in Tennessee: typical household income was up 10% after inflation, the share of people below the poverty line was down 1.7 points, and the share of workers looking for a job was down 2.6 points.

Typical household income · after inflation

Tennessee: $62.8K in 2005 → $69.0K in 2019

Tennessee up 10%U.S. up 8%

Share of people below the poverty line

Tennessee: 15.5% in 2005 → 13.9% in 2019

Tennessee down 1.7 pointsU.S. down 1.0 points

Share of workers looking for a job

Tennessee: 7.1% in 2005 → 4.5% in 2019

Tennessee down 2.6 pointsU.S. down 2.4 points

Each mini chart has its own scale, fitted to its lines (it does not start at zero), so compare the numbers, not the heights. Oxblood = state, grey = U.S.

While they served, not because of them. This shows what happened in Tennessee during Alexander’s time representing it (2003 to 2021). It does not say what the member did or caused. It is not a score, and PORKER never ranks members on it.

Survey years start at 2005. The yearly estimates for Tennessee begin in 2005, so 2003 to 2004 are not shown. No 2020 yearly estimate exists.

See the full 20-year record →Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates (tables B19013, B17001, B23001) and BLS CPI-U-RS for inflation, retrieved October 18, 2026. “About the same” means the change is inside the 90% margins of error. Who held the seat: Congress.gov member service records, year level.

Official records on bills this member sponsored

116th Congress. What Congress.gov lists for the 22 bills sponsored.

Record	Bills	Source
Bills sponsored	22	Source: Congress.gov member record, PORKER copy of October 26, 2026 ↗ See them →
With a CBO cost estimate listed	1	See the 1 →
With a committee report listed	2	See the 2 →

Evidence

How counted: Bills where this member is the lead (first-listed) sponsor in the 116th Congress, read from the stored Congress.gov bill records
Fields: cboCostEstimates, committeeReports, constitutionalAuthorityStatementText, notes
PORKER copy refreshed: October 26, 2026 (nightly)

Read this first. These are counts of records Congress.gov lists. Many bills never get a CBO estimate or a report, so a zero is not a mark against a member. We never show this as a score.

Open full dossier →

Data as of Oct 26, 2026 · latest recorded Senate vote Sep 30, 2026 · Sources: Congress.gov, Senate.gov, House Clerk, Appropriations Committee earmark tables. PORKER is non-partisan.