How We Grade

PushBack PA grades incumbent politicians on their verifiable record. For Rep. John Joyce we used five kinds of evidence, in this order:

1

First, we examined floor votes where Joyce diverged from House Republican leadership. Those breaks tell us more than party-line roll calls. Leadership-aligned votes are the baseline, but in Joyce’s case, it was the dissents that earned him distinguished marks.

2

Second, we reviewed his sponsorship record: bills he put his name on, advanced in committee, or helped become law. We weighted each category (healthcare, transparency, etc.) equally.

3

Third, we identified votes and bills likely to hit Pennsylvania’s 13th District directly — agriculture and H-2A labor, rural clinics, broadband money, energy and manufacturing, and constituent-facing agencies such as Social Security, VA, and IRS.

4

Fourth, we analyzed donor data and looked for parallels in the vote record. PAC share, sector concentration, and family or lobbyist ties can sometimes lower confidence in a vote. Corporate and institutional money in politics isn’t always malevolent, but it can be, and should never be ignored.

5

Lastly, we collected anecdotal reports on constituent services.

Grades were assigned as follows

  • A
    Aligned with PushBack PA on the key votes we tracked, especially when the vote broke with GOP leadership.
  • A−
    Strong alignment, with minor points of disagreement or concern.
  • B+ / B
    Mostly aligned, with repeated or consequential exceptions (opaque spending, donor-linked priorities, or weak district fit).
  • B−
    Notable breaks from PushBack priorities, or a record that looks conservative only on easy party-line votes.
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