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Representative James A. Dunnigan
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 2003
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2024
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2024: 22
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2024: 0

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Rep. James A. Dunnigan's service in the Utah legislature. I highlight differences from chamber averages using little green and red arrows. The number of arrows is statistically determined. More arrows indicate a larger difference compared to the chamber average, in relation to how much diversity there is among legislators on this metric. If all legislators introduce exactly 5 bills, then a legislator who introduces 10 is very different; if legislators vary wildly in how many bills they introduce (but the average is still 5), then a legislator who introduces 10 bills may be less different from average. The standard deviation measures this diversity.

Rep. Dunnigan's statistical profile

200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouse
  District H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H39H36H36
  Party RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Leadership NoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneMajLdrMajLdrNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Years in chamber 5678910111213141516171819202122
Years comparison ====HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Dunnigan 81176910151213681312131314169
Chamber average 6.16.15.96.16.36.45.86.46.77.06.77.17.37.36.67.18.18.5
Difference +1.9+4.9+1.1-0.1+2.7+3.6+9.2+5.6+6.3-1.0+1.3+5.9+4.7+5.7+6.4+6.9+7.9+0.5
Comparison HigherHigherHigher====HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher====HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher==
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Rep. Dunnigan's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 81176910151213681312131314169
Bills passed 6866910151211671012111211119
Passage rate 75%73%86%100%100%100%100%100%85%100%88%77%100%85%92%79%69%100%
Chamber average 51%53%60%61%55%54%66%52%63%54%61%53%63%58%60%58%56%56%
Difference +24+20+26+39+45+46+34+48+22+46+27+24+37+27+32+21+13+44
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bills floor sponsored. A "floor sponsor" is like a secondary sponsor of a bill. After a bill passes the sponsor's chamber, its sponsor needs to find a "floor sponsor" in the other chamber to usher it through the other chamber.
Total floor sponsored 9433511171267101099539
Chamber average 3.13.22.82.83.33.13.53.53.83.33.63.43.43.13.13.03.53.3
Difference +5.9+0.8+0.2+0.2+1.7-2.1+7.5+3.5+8.2+2.7+3.4+6.6+6.6+5.9+5.9+2.0-0.5+5.7
Comparison HigherHigher======HigherLowerHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher==HigherHigher
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Missed votes (learn more). Usually missed votes occur because of competing obligations within the legislature, not because the legislator has left the capitol.
Missed votes 61373319384621501025951417622222513818
Total votes held 602616600614651651658664699657727734752698666711803845
Absentee rate 10%6.0%5.5%3.1%5.8%7.1%3.2%7.5%15%9.0%7.0%5.6%10%3.2%3.3%3.5%17%2.1%
Chamber average 8.3%8.3%6.0%6.8%7.1%5.7%5.9%6.2%6.3%6.4%5.2%8.0%6.4%7.1%6.1%5.7%6.4%6.8%
Difference +1.7-2.3-0.5-3.7-1.3+1.4-2.7+1.3+8.7+2.6+1.8-2.4+3.6-3.9-2.8-2.2+11-4.7
Comparison ======Lower====Lower==HigherHigherHigherHigher==HigherLower==LowerHigherHigherLower
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
"Nay" votes (learn more). Most floor votes pass by overwhelming majorities, since unpopular bills get weeded out long before they reach the floor. As a result, "nay" votes are rare.
"Nay" votes 413151364944465850293635383038314544
Total votes held 602616600614651651658664699657727734752698666711803845
"Nay" rate 6.8%5.0%8.5%5.9%7.5%6.8%7.0%8.7%7.2%4.4%5.0%4.8%5.1%4.3%5.7%4.4%5.6%5.2%
Chamber average 7.2%6.0%8.1%7.4%8.4%7.8%7.3%7.5%8.6%7.3%7.1%6.5%6.5%7.0%7.7%6.5%7.1%5.7%
Difference -0.4-1.0+0.4-1.5-0.9-1.0-0.3+1.2-1.4-2.9-2.1-1.7-1.4-2.7-2.0-2.1-1.5-0.5
Comparison ==Lower==Lower======HigherLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower==
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Winning side rate (learn more). What percentage of the time (excluding near-unanimous votes) is the legislator on the winning side of a floor vote?
Winning side rate 57%75%71%80%69%69%69%61%75%79%75%75%76%71%76%82%58%63%
Chamber average 67%69%66%69%69%67%67%67%67%66%67%66%68%67%66%67%69%68%
Difference -10.0+6.5+4.7+10-0.2+1.9+2.4-6.0+7.2+13+7.9+8.4+7.4+4.4+9.7+15-10.9-4.7
Comparison LowerHigherHigherHigher======LowerHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherLowerLower
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Ideology score (NOMINATE method) (learn more). Using W-NOMINATE algorithm developed by Congressional scholars, I calculate each legislator's relative ideology after each General Session. I describe the method here. Scores have no intrinsic meaning. They are only relative: A legislator with a higher score is to the right ideologically of a legislator with a lower scale. Scores may be compared only within a single chamber and a single year. In most years, a conservative Republican will have a score above 0; a score close to 100 is extreme.
Contact me for scores. They get misinterpreted often enough that I now provide them only to political scientists.
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Rep. Dunnigan support his/her party? That is, what percentage of the time does the legislator vote with the majority of the other members of his/her party? Scores are usually easily above 90%.
Score (overall) 94%94%93%94%92%95%95%93%95%96%96%95%95%94%94%97%94%95%
Chamber average 95%95%94%95%94%94%95%94%94%95%95%94%95%95%94%95%96%96%
Difference -0.8-1.1-1.0-0.9-1.7+0.7+0.6-1.6+0.7+0.9+1.1+1.6-0.7-0.4+0.6+1.9-1.4-1.2
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLower====Lower==HigherHigher========HigherLowerLower
 
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Party support score (party-line only) (learn more). This is the same as the "raw" party support score, but we look only at party-line votes when calculating this. A "party-line" vote occurs when the majority of Democrats votes against the majority of Republicans. Although party-line votes are rare, looking at the legislator's party support score in this setting can be revealing.
Score (party-line only) 70%66%77%71%75%85%78%68%76%80%84%74%64%55%70%78%70%68%
Chamber average 79%82%81%84%85%83%81%80%82%85%87%83%85%83%85%84%88%87%
Difference -9.7-16.2-4.1-12.9-9.8+2.4-3.6-12.4-5.6-5.6-3.6-9.1-20.6-28.7-14.9-6.1-17.2-19.4
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower==LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower

Votes on Rep. Dunnigan's bills

Many votes have been held on bills sponsored by Rep. Dunnigan. In the interest of space, I display only the most and least divisive votes held on Rep. Dunnigan's bills.

Rep. Dunnigan's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Dunnigan that had the closest vote margin (as a percent of the total votes cast). When there are ties, I list the most recent bills first.

Year Sponsor Bill Ayes Nays Margin
(as % of total votes)
Type of vote
2017 Dunnigan HB0395S05 39 34 6.8% House/ passed 3rd reading
2013 Dunnigan HB0217S02 40 33 9.6% House/ floor amendment
2008 Dunnigan HB0154S01 28 42 20% House/ failed
2022 Dunnigan HB0224S01 48 23 35% House/ passed 3rd reading
2008 Dunnigan HB0406 19 9 36% Senate/ pass 2nd & 3rd (Suspension)
2015 Dunnigan HCR012 20 9 38% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2024 Dunnigan HB0036S03 49 22 38% House/ passed 3rd reading
2015 Dunnigan HB0446S03 22 52 41% House/ substitute adoption failed from # 0 to # 4
2016 Dunnigan HB0437S03 19 8 41% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2009 Dunnigan HB0331S02 17 6 48% Senate/ pass 3rd

Rep. Dunnigan's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Dunnigan that had the widest vote margin (as a percent of the total votes cast). When there are ties, I display the most recent bills first.

Year Sponsor Bill Ayes Nays Margin
(as % of total votes)
Type of vote
2024 Dunnigan HR0002S02 66 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Dunnigan HJR023S04 69 0 100% House Conference Committee - Final Passage
2024 Dunnigan HJR023S04 26 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2024 Dunnigan HJR023S04 74 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Dunnigan HCR002 25 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Dunnigan HCR002 73 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Dunnigan HB0427S02 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Dunnigan HB0427S02 70 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Dunnigan HB0333 25 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Dunnigan HB0333 72 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading