The U.S. Congress Votes Database

Members of Congress / John Kerry

Biographical Information

KERRY, John Forbes, a Senator from Massachusetts; born in Fitzsimons Army Hospital (Colorado), December 11, 1943; graduated, St. Paul’s School, Concord, N.H., 1962; graduated, Yale University 1966; served in the United States Navy 1966-1970, with service in Vietnam; graduated, Boston College Law School 1976; admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1976 and commenced practice in 1976; assistant district attorney of Middlesex County, Mass. 1977-1982; lieutenant governor of Massachusetts 1982-1984; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1984; reelected in 1990, 1996, 2002, and again in 2008 for the term ending January 3, 2015; chair, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (One Hundredth Congress), Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (One Hundred Seventh Congress [January 3-20, 2001; June 6, 2001-January 3, 2003], One Hundred Tenth Congress), Committee on Foreign Relations (One Hundred Eleventh Congress); Democratic candidate for U.S. president, 2004. (Source.)

More coverage of John Kerry on washingtonpost.com

Roles in Congress

· 111th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 2009, to Jan. 3, 2011.
· 110th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 4, 2007, to Jan. 3, 2011.
· 109th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 2005, to Jan. 3, 2007.
· 108th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 2003, to Jan. 3, 2005.
· 107th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 2001, to Jan. 3, 2003.
· 106th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 1999, to Jan. 3, 2001.
· 105th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 1997, to Jan. 3, 1999.
· 104th Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 1995, to Jan. 3, 1997.
· 103rd Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 1993, to Jan. 3, 1995.
· 102nd Congress: Senator, Massachusetts, Democratic. Jan. 3, 1991, to Jan. 3, 1993.

Key Votes

See how John Kerry voted on key votes -- the most important bills, nominations and resolutions that have come before Congress, as determined by washingtonpost.com.

Missed Votes

John Kerry has missed 11 votes (2.6%) during the current Congress. See a list of his missed votes since 1991 or see a full list of vote missers.

Voting with Party

John Kerry has voted with a majority of his Democratic colleagues 97.0% of the time during the current Congress. This percentage does not include votes in which Kerry did not vote. See a list of his votes against his party since 1991, a list of all Senators in the 111th Congress with a similar score, or a full list of party voters.

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State Information

Massachusetts demographic profile (2000 Census)

Financial Disclosure

View John Kerry's official financial disclosure statements, which describe the sources, types and amounts of income earned in a given year. (See more disclosure reports.)

Latest Votes

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DateVotePositionGOP opinionDEM opinion
2/4/10 Vote 20: On the Nomination: Nomination: Martha N. Johnson, of Maryland, to be Administrator of General Services Yes Yes Yes
2/4/10 Vote 19: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Martha A. Johnson to be Administrator of General Services Administration Yes Yes Yes
2/4/10 Vote 18: On the Nomination: Confirmation M. Patricia Smith, of New York, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor. Yes No Yes
2/1/10 Vote 17: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of M. Patricia Smith, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor Yes No Yes
1/28/10 Vote 16: On the Nomination: Confirmation Ben S. Bernanke To Be Chairman Of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Yes Yes Yes
1/28/10 Vote 15: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Ben S. Bernanke, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Yes Yes Yes
1/28/10 Vote 14: H J RES 45: H. J. Res. 45 As Amended; A joint resolution increasing the statutory limit on the public debt. Yes No Yes
1/28/10 Vote 13: H J RES 45: Reid Amdt. No. 3299 As Amended; In the nature of a substitute. Yes No Yes
1/28/10 Vote 12: H J RES 45: Reid Amdt. No. 3305; To reimpose statutory pay-as-you-go. Yes No Yes
1/28/10 Vote 11: H J RES 45: Sessions Amdt. No. 3308; To reduce the deficit by establishing 5-year discretionary spending caps. No Yes No
1/28/10 Vote 10: H J RES 45: Brownback Amdt. No. 3309; To establish a Commission on Congressional Budgetary Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies. No Yes No
1/26/10 Vote 9: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division IV; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. No Yes No
1/26/10 Vote 8: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division III; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. No Yes No
1/26/10 Vote 7: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division II; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. No Yes No
1/26/10 Vote 6: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division I; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. Yes Yes Yes
1/26/10 Vote 5: H J RES 45: Conrad Amdt. No. 3302; To establish a Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action, to assure the long-term fiscal stability and economic security of the Federal Government of the United States, and to expand future prosperity and growth for all Americans. Yes No Yes
1/26/10 Vote 4: H J RES 45: Baucus Amdt. No. 3300 as Modified; To protect Social Security. Yes Yes Yes
1/25/10 Vote 3: On the Nomination: Confirmation Rosanna Malouf Peterson, of Washington, to be U.S. District Judge Yes Yes Yes
1/21/10 Vote 2: H J RES 45: Thune Amdt. No. 3301; To terminate authority under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and for other purposes. No Yes No
1/20/10 Vote 1: On the Nomination: Confirmation Beverly Baldwin Martin, of Georgia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge Yes Yes Yes

Full list of votes by John Kerry

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