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[CAPTURE PORTAL] 119TH CONGRESS
// Legislative Integrity Monitor
Goblin House Intelligence
CongressOfficials → Vern Buchanan

Vern Buchanan

Republican · Representative, FL ·16
Score Components
26 ELEVATED
Connection Density 20%
0 → 0
Donor Influence 10%
0 → 0
Silence Risk 25%
20 → 5
Contradiction Risk 25%
64 → 16
Intelligence Volume 10%
52 → 5
Constituency Deviation 5%
0 → 0
Voting Misalignment 5%
0 → 0
% = weight in composite score · Raw component 0–100 × weight = weighted contribution (→) · Sum of contributions = overall score. Hover a row for details.
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Foreign-Born Population: 14.6% (121,000 residents)
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Cook Partisan Voting Index: R+19 (2024)
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Homeownership Rate: 73.8% (national avg. 65.5%); median home value $381,300
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Racial/Ethnic Composition: 63.2% White (non-Hispanic), 21.7% Hispanic, 12.2% Black, 3% Asian/other
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Uninsured Rate: 10.4% (approx. 86,000 residents without health coverage)
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Poverty Rate: 6.7% (national avg. 12.4%)
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Median Age: 43.1 (national median: 38.5); 16% of residents aged 70+
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Population (2024 ACS): 830,753
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[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Median Household Income: $84,737 (well above $78,538 national median)
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[constituency_baseline] Ballot measure: Florida Amendment 3 — Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2024) (2024) — failed, margin 55.8% Yes, 44.2% No (failed to reach 60% supermajority)
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[constituency_baseline] Ballot measure: Florida Amendment 4 — Right to Abortion Initiative (2024) (2024) — failed, margin 57% Yes, 43% No (failed to reach 60% supermajority required for constitutional amendments in Florida)
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[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 23 - Construction (share 0.08)
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[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 53 - Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (share 0.1)
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[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 72 - Accommodation and Food Services (share 0.11)
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[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 44-45 - Retail Trade (share 0.14)
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[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 62 - Health Care and Social Assistance (share 0.19)
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[constituency_baseline] Top employer: Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport / tourism sector (3000 employees)
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[constituency_baseline] Top employer: IMG Academy (Bradenton) (1500 employees)
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[constituency_baseline] Top employer: School District of Manatee County (6500 employees)
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[constituency_baseline] Top employer: Publix Super Markets (regional distribution and retail) (9362 employees)
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No connections mapped
BillVoteDateAlignment
One Big Beautiful Bill Act (FY2025 Budget Reconciliation) yea 2025-07-03 mixed
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (Debt Ceiling Suspension) nay 2023-05-31 deviating
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 yea 2017-11-16 aligned
Last contradiction analysis: Never
statement_vs_disclosure 90/100
Platform: ""Biden's reckless, unilateral student loan giveaway is unfair to the 87 percent of Americans without student loan debt and those who played by the rul"
Vote: on "Buchanan's auto dealerships (Sarasota 500, Nissan of Elizabeth City) had over $2.3 million in Payche"
Buchanan publicly attacked Biden's student loan forgiveness as 'reckless' and 'unfair to those who played by the rules,' yet his own businesses received over $2.3 million in forgiven PPP loans — a government loan forgiveness program that he did not c
statement_vs_disclosure 60/100
Platform: ""I would not have voted for the bill if I thought protections for those with pre-existing conditions were in jeopardy, as I promised my constituents d"
Vote: on "The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the AHCA would cause 23 million more Americans to lo"
Buchanan publicly assured constituents he 'would not have voted for the bill' if pre-existing condition protections were in jeopardy, but the CBO and multiple independent analyses determined the AHCA would weaken those protections by allowing state w
Last silence detection: Never
Auto dealership and reinsurance company conflicts of interest given Ways and Means tax jurisdiction
3313d silent
Expected position: As a member of Ways & Means overseeing tax policy while simultaneously owning auto dealerships, offshore reinsurance companies (Buchanan Reinsurance, Jamat Reinsurance, Greater Atla
In-person constituent town halls during contentious FY2025 budget reconciliation debate (2025)
195d silent
Expected position: As the representative for 830,753 constituents and vice chair of Ways & Means, Buchanan would be expected to hold public town halls to explain his positions on tax cuts, Medicaid, S
No donor interests mapped
No constituency baseline modelled
No platform commitments archived
No committee memberships recorded
Scoring Methodology

The Capture Risk Score is a composite 0–100 index measuring potential regulatory capture of elected officials. It is computed from seven weighted components:

ComponentWeightSignal
Silence Risk25%Topics where donors have interests but the official is silent
Contradiction Risk25%Stated positions contradicted by voting record (recent findings boosted)
Connection Density20%Mapped relationships to lobbyists, contractors, interest groups
Intelligence Volume10%Documented facts from verified sources (logarithmic scale)
Donor Influence10%Distinct donors with interests overlapping committee jurisdiction
Constituency Deviation5%Gap between district priorities and legislative focus
Voting Misalignment5%Floor votes contradicting stated platform positions

Each component produces a raw score 0–100. The weighted sum yields the overall score. Tier thresholds: Critical ≥ 45, High ≥ 36, Elevated ≥ 22, Moderate ≥ 10, Low < 10.

Officials without at least 2 documented facts, 1 contradiction analysis, 1 voting record, or 1 constituency baseline are marked Insufficient Evidence and excluded from numeric ranking.

Contradiction findings from the last 180 days receive a recency boost. High-severity contradictions (score ≥ 70) receive additional weight.

Full methodology: /congress/methodology

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