The North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation (NCFREE) released its annual Legislative Business Ratings (LBR) last week. The group provides non-partisan analysis of the political landscape and its impact on North Carolina’s business environment.
These ratings equip business leaders, the media, and the public with a tool to assess whether a lawmaker is generally favorable towards free enterprise or not.
This analytical assessment of the business disposition of all state House and Senate members is based on confidential input from a group of more than 300 business leaders, business trade association executives and government affairs professionals. The survey pool represents a diverse cross-section of business interests, with geographic diversity as well as and an appropriate array relative to company size and scope, and industry sectors.
Legislators are rated using three criteria: 1) an objective component, which evaluates how each lawmaker voted on free enterprise legislation; 2) a subjective component, which surveys free enterprise leaders with extensive knowledge of the legislature, including business leaders, trade association executives, and government affairs professionals; and 3) a bill sponsorship component, which assesses the net number of bills a lawmaker sponsored that favor free enterprise.
According to the report, Republican members of the North Carolina House of Representatives scored an average of 97.3%, while their Democratic counterparts scored an average of 31.6%. In the state Senate, Republicans scored an average of 97.6%, while Democrats scored an average of 28.4%.
2023-24 House Legislative Business Ratings
| Member | District | Party | Objective Rating | 2023-24 LBR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams, Jay | 96 | R | 100.0 | 96.9 |
| Ager, Eric | 114 | D | 29.6 | 26.7 |
| Alexander, Kelly | 107 | D | 28.6 | 28.3 |
| Alston, Vernetta | 29 | D | 22.2 | 22.0 |
| Arp, Dean | 69 | R | 100.0 | 98.8 |
| Autry, John | 100 | D | 18.5 | 16.2 |
| Baker, Amber | 72 | D | 37.5 | 29.4 |
| Baker, Kristin | 82 | R | 100.0 | 96.9 |
| Balkcom, Jennifer | 117 | R | 100.0 | 97.4 |
| Ball, Cynthia | 49 | D | 22.2 | 18.9 |
| Belk, Mary | 88 | D | 25.9 | 20.6 |
| Bell, John | 10 | R | 100.0 | 98.9 |
| Biggs, Brian | 70 | R | 100.0 | 97.2 |
| Blackwell, Hugh | 86 | R | 95.8 | 94.1 |
| Bradford, John | 98 | R | 100.0 | 99.4 |
| Branson, Alan (appointed 4.16.24) | 59 | R | 100.0 | * |
| Brisson, William | 22 | R | 100.0 | 96.7 |
| Brockman, Cecil | 60 | D | 87.5 | 83.3 |
| Brody, Mark | 55 | R | 100.0 | 98.9 |
| Brown, Gloristine | 8 | D | 25.9 | 23.6 |
| Brown, Kanika | 71 | D | 22.7 | 23.4 |
| Brown, Terry | 92 | D | 33.3 | 31.2 |
| Buansi, Allen | 56 | D | 25.9 | 20.6 |
| Budd, Laura | 103 | D | 22.2 | 19.3 |
| Butler, Deb | 18 | D | 25.9 | 20.6 |
| Cairns, Celeste | 13 | R | 100.0 | 97.4 |
| Carney, Becky | 102 | D | 33.3 | 33.9 |
| Cervania, Maria | 41 | D | 22.2 | 18.9 |
| Chesser, Allen | 25 | R | 100.0 | 98.2 |
| Clampitt, Mike | 119 | R | 100.0 | 96.2 |
| Clemmons, Ashton | 57 | D | 48.0 | 49.4 |
| Cleveland, George | 14 | R | 100.0 | 95.2 |
| Cotham, Tricia Ann | 112 | R | 100.0 | 96.9 |
| Crawford, Sarah | 66 | D | 23.1 | 21.2 |
| Crutchfield, Kevin | 83 | R | 100.0 | 98.2 |
| Cunningham, Carla | 106 | D | 69.2 | 65.9 |
| Dahle, Allison | 11 | D | 29.6 | 32.3 |
| Davis, Ted | 20 | R | 100.0 | 95.5 |
| Dixon, Jimmy | 4 | R | 100.0 | 97.6 |
| Elmore, Jeffrey | 94 | R | 95.8 | 94.7 |
| Everitt, Terence | 35 | D | 25.9 | 19.4 |
| Faircloth, John | 62 | R | 100.0 | 96.7 |
| Fontenot, Ken | 24 | R | 100.0 | 98.2 |
| Gill, Rosa | 33 | D | 32.0 | 31.1 |
| Gillespie, Karl | 120 | R | 100.0 | 98.0 |
| Goodwin, Edward | 1 | R | 100.0 | 97.7 |
| Greene, Dudley | 85 | R | 100.0 | 97.9 |
| Hall, Destin | 87 | R | 100.0 | 99.7 |
| Hall, Kyle | 91 | R | 100.0 | 96.7 |
| Hardister, Jon (resigned 4.8.24) | 59 | R | 100.0 | 97.4 |
| Harris, Wesley | 105 | D | 29.2 | 23.8 |
| Harrison, Pricey | 61 | D | 11.1 | 10.3 |
| Hastings, Kelly | 110 | R | 100.0 | 98.1 |
| Hawkins, Zack | 31 | D | 32.0 | 29.9 |
| Howard, Julia | 77 | R | 100.0 | 97.3 |
| Humphrey, Chris | 12 | R | 100.0 | 97.8 |
| Iler, Frank | 17 | R | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Jackson, Frances | 45 | D | 37.0 | 29.5 |
| Jackson, Neal | 78 | R | 100.0 | 96.9 |
| Jeffers, Ray | 2 | D | 50.0 | 46.4 |
| John, Joe | 40 | D | 37.0 | 33.7 |
| Johnson, Jake | 113 | R | 100.0 | 98.3 |
| Jones, Abe | 38 | D | 37.0 | 36.7 |
| Jones, Brenden | 46 | R | 100.0 | 97.4 |
| Kidwell, Keith | 79 | R | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Lambeth, Donny | 75 | R | 100.0 | 96.7 |
| Liu, Ya | 21 | D | 30.4 | 27.0 |
| Loftis, Donnie | 109 | R | 100.0 | 98.3 |
| Lofton, Brandon | 104 | D | 30.8 | 27.2 |
| Logan, Carolyn | 101 | D | 10.5 | 12.4 |
| Longest, Tim | 34 | D | 23.1 | 19.7 |
| Lowery, Jarrod | 47 | R | 100.0 | 98.3 |
| Lucas, Marvin | 42 | D | 45.0 | 42.4 |
| Majeed, Nasif | 99 | D | 63.0 | 52.6 |
| McNeely, Jeffrey | 84 | R | 100.0 | 98.3 |
| Miller, Charles | 19 | R | 96.3 | 95.3 |
| Mills, Grey | 95 | R | 100.0 | 98.3 |
| Moore, Tim | 111 | R | 100.0 | 98.0 |
| Morey, Marcia | 30 | D | 18.5 | 16.1 |
| Moss, Ben | 52 | R | 95.7 | 92.1 |
| Paré, Erin | 37 | R | 100.0 | 99.0 |
| Penny, Howard | 53 | R | 100.0 | 97.3 |
| Pickett, Ray | 93 | R | 92.3 | 92.0 |
| Pierce, Garland | 48 | D | 70.4 | 63.6 |
| Pike, Joseph | 6 | R | 100.0 | 95.8 |
| Pless, Mark | 118 | R | 95.8 | 94.7 |
| Potts, Larry | 81 | R | 100.0 | 97.9 |
| Prather, Lindsey | 115 | D | 25.9 | 20.6 |
| Price, Renée | 50 | D | 29.6 | 23.6 |
| Pyrtle, Reece | 65 | R | 100.0 | 97.9 |
| Quick, Amos | 58 | D | 26.9 | 26.0 |
| Reeder, Timothy | 9 | R | 100.0 | 96.9 |
| Reives, Robert | 54 | D | 26.1 | 32.1 |
| Riddell, Dennis | 64 | R | 100.0 | 98.9 |
| Roberson, James | 39 | D | 37.5 | 34.2 |
| Ross, Stephen | 63 | R | 100.0 | 98.1 |
| Rudow, Caleb | 116 | D | 25.0 | 22.5 |
| Saine, Jason | 97 | R | 100.0 | 99.7 |
| Sasser, Wayne | 67 | R | 100.0 | 97.7 |
| Sauls, John | 51 | R | 100.0 | 98.5 |
| Setzer, Mitchell | 89 | R | 100.0 | 98.5 |
| Shepard, Phil | 15 | R | 100.0 | 97.9 |
| Smith, Carson | 16 | R | 96.2 | 96.2 |
| Smith, Charles | 44 | D | 29.6 | 26.4 |
| Sossamon, Frank | 32 | R | 96.3 | 94.1 |
| Staton-Williams, Diamond | 73 | D | 30.8 | 27.7 |
| Stevens, Sarah | 90 | R | 96.3 | 95.0 |
| Strickland, Larry | 28 | R | 100.0 | 96.4 |
| Torbett, John | 108 | R | 100.0 | 98.2 |
| Tyson, Steve | 3 | R | 100.0 | 98.7 |
| von Haefen, Julie | 36 | D | 19.2 | 15.2 |
| Ward, Bill | 5 | R | 100.0 | 97.3 |
| Warren, Harry | 76 | R | 100.0 | 97.7 |
| Watford, Sam | 80 | R | 100.0 | 97.2 |
| Wheatley, Diane | 43 | R | 100.0 | 96.9 |
| White, Donna | 26 | R | 100.0 | 96.9 |
| Willingham, Shelly | 23 | D | 84.6 | 80.8 |
| Willis, David | 68 | R | 100.0 | 98.1 |
| Winslow, Matthew | 7 | R | 100.0 | 99.0 |
| Wray, Michael | 27 | D | 77.8 | 80.1 |
| Zenger, Jeff | 74 | R | 100.0 | 98.9 |
For the Senate ratings, a thorough explanation of the methodology behind the scores (including pertinent legislation), and a complete analysis of its data, one may view NCFREE’s entire report here. To read CLC’s detailed analysis of House members from April of this year, click here.
