U.S. Senator
Sheldon Whitehouse
Rhode Island
DemocratProgressive
Contact
Voting Profile
Legislative Record
Most Active Policy Areas
#1 healthcare#2 other#3 defense#4 environment energy#5 social security
302
Votes Analyzed
Data sources: voteview, congress.gov
Political Position
Ideology Spectrum
-0.35Progressive
Senator Whitehouse is a progressive Democrat whose voting record places him slightly closer to the center than the average member of his party. His NOMINATE score of -0.349 indicates consistent liberal positions while maintaining some degree of ideological flexibility compared to his most progressive colleagues.
LiberalModerateConservative
Democrat avg
Near the average for Democrats (-0.38)
Data source: VoteView NOMINATE scores (UCLA/UC San Diego)
Policy Positions
Category Breakdown
302
total votes analyzed
Overview
Sheldon Whitehouse has represented Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate since 2007, compiling a substantial voting record across diverse policy areas. His legislative priorities appear to center on healthcare, environmental policy, and social security programs, based on his voting activity in these categories. Senator Whitehouse demonstrates strong support for defense-related measures (88% yea) and social security legislation (81% yea), while showing more selective approaches to budget and healthcare matters. His voting patterns suggest a legislator who generally aligns with Democratic Party positions while occasionally breaking from party consensus. His environmental and energy voting record (65% yea) reflects engagement with climate and energy issues, an area where he has been particularly active during his Senate tenure. His banking and finance votes show strong support (86% yea) for measures in that category.
Key Positions
- •Strong supporter of social security programs with 81% approval rate
- •High support for defense-related legislation at 88%
- •Active engagement on healthcare policy with the highest number of recorded votes in this category
- •Consistent support for banking and financial regulation measures
- •Engaged on environmental and energy legislation
By Policy Area
Healthcare174
57% yea43% nay
Other29
52% yea48% nay
Defense24
88% yea12% nay
Environment & Energy23
65% yea35% nay
Social Security16
81% yea19% nay
Budget & Spending10
40% yea60% nay
Agriculture10
60% yea40% nay
Banking & Finance7
86% yea14% 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: $25.5M
Fundraising Over Time
Raised per election cycleSpent
Contribution Sources
Individual$436K
89%
PAC / Committees$54K
11%
Individual Breakdown
Itemized (>$200)
$436K
Donation Sizes
Under $200
$212K · 49%
$200 – 499
$40K · 9%
$500 – 999
$35K · 8%
$1,000 – 1,999
$68K · 16%
$2,000+
$79K · 18%
Share of individual contribution dollars by donation size, current election cycle.
Where the Money Comes From
In-state (RI)$172K · 40%
Out-of-state$262K · 60%
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.
RI
$172K
CA
$54K
MA
$48K
NY
$23K
DC
$19K
FL
$10K
CT
$9K
VA
$9K
Top Contributors
Top Contributing Industries
Top Donor Employers
N/A$247K
SELF EMPLOYED$45K
KITEBROOK$7K
COTCHETT, PITRE & MCCARTHY, LLP$7K
ANBAU ENTERPRISES$7K
LORING WOLCOTT$5K
GOOGLE LLC$4K
KAZAN MCCLAIN ET AL.$4K
SHAWMUT CAPITAL PARTNERS$4K
ARNOLD VENTURES$4K
BROWN UNIVERSITY$3K
CODAC INC$3K
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
$557K
Fundraising
$62K
Administrative
$42K
Advertising
$38K
Refunds
$2K
Contributions
$1K
Materials
$768
Purpose categories are self-reported on FEC filings; large “Other” totals are common.
Top Payees
1.$161K
CAMPAIGN FINANCE CONSULTANTS, INC.
2.$89K
AMERICAN EXPRESS
3.$63K
ASSEMBLE THE AGENCY, LLC
4.$58K
EVERYACTION, INC.
5.$42K
KEMPENAAR'S CLAMBAKE CLUB
6.$36K
MCCABE, MEAGHAN E.
7.$34K
VERDOLINO & LOWEY, PC
8.$30K
CFO CONSULTING GROUP
Detailed Breakdown
Expenditures
Operating Costs
$630K
Operating Offsets
$945.68
Net Operating
$629K
Refunds
Individual Refunds
$2K
Coverage: 1/1/2025 – 6/30/2026FEC: S6RI00221Updated: 8/12/2026Source: FEC.gov (all authorized committees)
Voting Record
Congressional Votes
203 votes across 12 categories