U.S. Representative
Maxine Waters
California District 43
DemocratVery Progressive
Contact
Voting Profile
Legislative Record
Most Active Policy Areas
#1 healthcare#2 budget#3 agriculture#4 defense#5 other
328
Votes Analyzed
Data sources: voteview, congress.gov
Political Position
Ideology Spectrum
-0.66Very Progressive
Representative Maxine Waters positions herself on the progressive end of the Democratic Party, with a NOMINATE score of -0.656 placing her significantly to the left of her party's average. Her voting record reflects consistently liberal positions across most policy areas, making her one of the more ideologically distinct members of the House Democratic caucus.
LiberalModerateConservative
Democrat avg
More liberal than the average Democrat (-0.38)
Data source: VoteView NOMINATE scores (UCLA/UC San Diego)
Policy Positions
Category Breakdown
328
total votes analyzed
Overview
Maxine Waters has served as a Democratic Representative from California, building a legislative record characterized by progressive positions on economic and social policy. Her voting patterns show strong engagement with healthcare legislation, where she has cast 164 votes, along with substantial activity on budget and agricultural matters. Waters' voting record from the early 1990s shows consistent support for Democratic legislative priorities, including backing conference reports and resolutions while opposing Republican procedural motions. Her high 'yea' rate on defense-related votes (73%) may reflect support for appropriations bills that included broader domestic spending priorities. As a California representative, Waters has been an active participant in debates over financial regulation, healthcare access, and federal budget priorities. Her ideological positioning suggests she frequently advocates for expanded government programs and progressive economic policies.
Key Positions
- •Consistently votes with progressive wing of Democratic Party
- •Active engagement on healthcare legislation with 164 recorded votes
- •Supports Democratic budget priorities with 61% yea rate on budget votes
- •Participates in financial services and banking policy debates
- •Generally opposes Republican procedural motions and amendments
By Policy Area
Healthcare164
47% yea53% nay
Budget & Spending66
61% yea39% nay
Agriculture47
51% yea49% nay
Defense15
73% yea27% nay
Other11
64% yea36% nay
Banking & Finance11
45% yea55% nay
Analysis updated: January 9, 2026
Campaign Finance
Follow the Money
Includes all authorized campaign committees (principal committee, joint fundraising, and other authorized committees). Outside spending by Super PACs and independent groups is shown separately below. Verify on FEC.gov →
Career: $14.7M
Fundraising Over Time
Raised per election cycleSpent
Contribution Sources
Individual$339K
46%
PAC / Committees$401K
54%
Individual Breakdown
Itemized (>$200)
$318K
Small Dollar (<$200)
$20K
Donation Sizes
Under $200
$24K · 7%
$200 – 499
$4K · 1%
$500 – 999
$15K · 4%
$1,000 – 1,999
$80K · 24%
$2,000+
$214K · 63%
Share of individual contribution dollars by donation size, current election cycle.
Where the Money Comes From
In-state (CA)$185K · 58%
Out-of-state$132K · 42%
Itemized individual contributions only (donations over $200 report the donor's state). Small-dollar donations are not included because the FEC does not itemize them.
CA
$185K
DC
$31K
TX
$17K
MD
$16K
NY
$13K
GA
$12K
FL
$12K
IL
$7K
Top Contributors
Top Contributing Industries
Top Donor Employers
NONE$43K
SELF EMPLOYED$20K
MINDSET$15K
ALLEN MEDIA GROUP$12K
BLACKROCK$12K
NOT EMPLOYED$10K
G & C EQUIPMENT$7K
ARIEL INVESTMENTS$7K
EREBOR BANK$7K
TIMOTHY PRYZBYLSKI$7K
YUCAIPA COMPANIES$7K
ICO$5K
Employer as self-reported by itemized donors. “Not Employed” and “Self-Employed” typically rank highest for small-dollar campaigns and include retirees.
Where the Money Goes
Spending by Purpose
Other / Uncategorized
$416K
Contributions
$100K
Administrative
$96K
Advertising
$78K
Fundraising
$11K
Materials
$4K
Refunds
$4K
Purpose categories are self-reported on FEC filings; large “Other” totals are common.
Top Payees
1.$193K
MARINA GRAPHIC CENTER
2.$100K
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
3.$80K
BIRD MARELLA
4.$78K
GOULD & ORELLANA, LLC
5.$68K
U.S. TREASURY
6.$28K
CALIFORNIA BANK & TRUST
7.$20K
AT&T
8.$19K
SAVVY COMMUNICATIONS
Detailed Breakdown
Expenditures
Operating Costs
$489K
Net Operating
$489K
Refunds
Individual Refunds
$4K
Outside Spending (Super PACs)
Supporting
$85K
Opposing
$1.4M
Total Outside Spending
$1.5M
Top Outside Spenders
01
$899KFUTURE45
-$899K
02
$321KVIGOP (VIRGIN ISLANDS REPUBLICAN PARTY)
-$321K
03
$211KSTARS AND STRIPES FOREVER PAC
-$211K
04
$63KLOS ANGELES COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE
+$63K
05
$18KELBERT GUILLORY'S AMERICA
+$10K-$8K
06
$13KPROTECTING OUR VOTE PAC
+$13K
07
$10KGREAT AMERICA PAC
-$10K
Independent expenditures are made without coordination with the candidate. Source: FEC Schedule E filings.
Coverage: 1/1/2025 – 6/30/2026FEC: H4CA23011Updated: 8/12/2026Source: FEC.gov (all authorized committees)
Voting Record
Congressional Votes
317 votes across 13 categories