Washington, D.C. -  This week, a nonpartisan Congressional Quarterly (CQ) report ranked Congressman Joe Donnelly as the fifth most independent Democrat in the House of Representatives.

Donnelly’s ranking is even more significant given that the Democratic majority in the House was more successful in enforcing party discipline in 2007 than any other majority in the House or Senate has ever been. House Democrats won more than 90 percent of all party unity votes (i.e., votes that pit a majority of voting Democrats against a majority of voting Republicans).

“I’ve tried as much as possible to vote the views of my constituents regardless of party, to hit the ball right down the middle. I believe this ranking proves my commitment to doing what’s right for the people of northern Indiana, even if it means voting against my party’s leadership,” said Donnelly. “I remain committed to the Democratic Party because of their dedication to working families, but I will continue to vote for the best interests of the Hoosiers that I represent.”

CQ’s comprehensive, statistical breakdown is based on an “independence percentile” which shows that, based on approximately 730 votes with a clear party line thus far in the 110th Congress, Donnelly is the fifth most likely Democrat to break with his party out of the 232 Democrats in the House.

Donnelly has voted against his party on a number of issues, including providing federal funding for stem cell research and the budget proposed by House Democrats.