Composite 6.1 / 10, weighted per the Constitutional Weight Schedule.
Below the 700 bar, Author's Verdict: not supported.
Lands in the Adequate band at credit 633, below the 700 support line, Author's Verdict: not supported. (See section 7 for the full reasoning.)
No military service record. Civic service: Cuyahoga County Council 2015–2021; Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chair; U.S. House (OH-11) since November 2021. Service is context, not scored; conduct within office is scored on its own measures.
The 14 measures
Each measure is scored 0–10 against an anchored example, with a cited source. Hover/expand why? for the reasoning.
| # | Measure | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| M01 | Duty to Constitution & Rule of Law | 6 | why?Took office Nov 4 2021, after the Dec 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus and the Jan 6 2021 certification, so neither the amicus nor a certification objection is on her record; no criterion-8 process-subversion conduct exists. No documented defense of constitutional structure at personal cost either. A clean but unremarkable middle: routine oath-keeping without a defining stand for or against the constitutional order. [source] |
| M02 | Party Over Country | 5 | why?Lugar/McCourt Bipartisan Index places her in the lower tier (negative score, ranked roughly 334th among House members), low cross-party cosponsorship architecture. Caucus membership (Progressive Caucus, New Democrat Coalition, CBC) is explicitly NOT scored against her; only the bipartisan-collaboration record itself is. Below-middle on demonstrated cross-aisle work-product. [source] |
| M03 | Persons of Equal Worth | 7 | why?No documented pattern of casting opponents or constituents as enemies who do not belong; no criterion-10 enemy-making conduct on record. Standard partisan contrast does not lower this. Upper-middle for default respect-for-personhood absent any high-mark affirmative anchor. [source] |
| M04 | Weaponization of Justice | 7 | why?No documented weaponization of state power against rivals; no criterion-8 conduct (took office after Dec 2020, so no amicus/fake-elector exposure). Clean on abuse-of-power; held at upper-middle for absence of an affirmative power-restraint anchor rather than any demerit. [source] |
| M05 | Incitement / Anti-Belonging | 6 | why?No documented incitement or sustained dehumanizing rhetoric. Competitive 2021 primary against Nina Turner featured sharp ads on both sides, but nothing rising to a criterion-10 pattern. Middle: ordinary political combativeness without a documented restraint high-mark or a documented breach. [source] |
| M06 | Fiduciary Conduct | 6 | why?A pre-Congress appearance concern weighs here: as a Cuyahoga County Council member she voted in 2017 toward ~$17M in contracts to a firm (Perk) tied to her partner Mark Perkins, and her campaign took ~$13K from connected families. Referred to the Ohio Ethics Commission in 2021, no settlement, charge, or finding was ever made public, so it is a weighed APPEARANCE-concern, never a finding. No federal ethics issue during her House tenure. Middle: a real disclosure-adjacent shadow, no adjudicated breach. [source] |
| M07 | Duty to Call Out | 5 | why?M07's higher bar is calling out one's OWN side at cost. No documented instance of her breaking with party leadership or her caucuses at personal political cost. Confirmation/impeachment/certification VOTES are NOT scored here (the constitutional process working). Middle-low: dutiful party-line member without a documented own-side accountability moment. [source] |
| M08 | The Discretion Test | 6 | why?No documented self-sacrificing discretion test (declining a personal advantage for the public good) and no documented abuse of discretion. The 2017 county-contract appearance concern slightly tempers the read on discretionary judgment. Middle. [source] |
| M09 | The No-Camera Test | 7 | why?No documented private-versus-public contempt gap; no reporting of an off-camera posture diverging from the public one. Upper-middle by default in the absence of any documented hypocrisy instance. [source] |
| M10 | Constituent-vs-Donor Vote | 6 | why?Standard constituent-service operation for a safe Cleveland/Akron district (~80% special-election margin). The 2021 reporting that GOP-aligned and pro-Israel PAC money heavily backed her primary is a donor-alignment note, not an office-enrichment finding, and is weighed only lightly here. Middle. [source] |
| M11 | Net-Worth Trajectory | 6 | why?M11 scores ONLY office-attributable enrichment. No STOCK Act violation, no documented self-dealing, family payment, office-info trade, or foreign-government revenue during her House tenure. The pre-Congress county-contract appearance concern (partner-linked firm) is the only office-adjacent flag and remains an unadjudicated appearance, not a finding, a modest drag, not a floor. Raw wealth is NOT penalized. Middle. [source] |
| M12 | Floor Decorum | 7 | why?Serves as Vice Ranking Member on House Agriculture; routine regular-order committee participation with no documented decorum breaches, censure, or sanction. Upper-middle for ordinary institutional decorum without a standout institution-over-spectacle anchor. [source] |
| M13 | Lying & Misleading | 6 | why?No documented sustained-falsehood pattern. Her 2021 campaign drew opponent attacks over a 'history of lying' framing, but those were adversarial characterizations, not a documented record of demonstrable false statements. Middle absent both a clean affirmative truth-telling anchor and any verified falsehood pattern. [source] |
| M14 | Knowledge Depth | 6 | why?Working substantive command within her committee lanes (Agriculture Vice Ranking Member) without a signature, deeply-mastered legislative achievement on the McCain-tier of substance-over-talking-points. Solid middle for competent but not standout policy substance. [source] |
Why not higher, the points withheld
The standard is the seat; the ceiling is a perfect 10. Every withheld point traces to documented conduct, weighed where the measures and attributes say it belongs, shown openly here, the same way the earned points are.
| Where | Documented conduct | Mitigation weighed |
|---|---|---|
| M02 | Lugar/McCourt Bipartisan Index lower tier (negative score, ~334th in the House), low cross-party cosponsorship ↳ demonstrated bipartisan work-product | Caucus membership itself is NOT counted against her; only the collaboration record is |
| M07 | No documented instance of breaking with her own party/caucus at personal political cost ↳ own-side accountability duty (the higher bar) | No demerit for party loyalty itself; confirmation/impeachment/certification votes excluded from scoring |
| M06 | 2017 county votes toward ~$17M in contracts to a firm (Perk) tied to her partner; ~$13K in donations from connected families; referred to Ohio Ethics Commission 2021 ↳ Fiduciary appearance-of-impropriety (pre-Congress) | No settlement, charge, or finding ever made public, weighed APPEARANCE-concern, never a finding; not a federal-office matter |
| M11 | Same partner-linked county-contract appearance concern is the only office-adjacent enrichment flag ↳ office-attributable enrichment appearance | Unadjudicated; no STOCK Act violation or House-tenure self-dealing; raw wealth not penalized, modest drag, not a floor |
The Four Pillars, worthy to be followed?
A separate axis from the 14 measures. The measures ask did their conduct meet the standard; the Pillars ask is this someone worthy to be elevated and followed at all. The two can diverge, when they do, the divergence is the finding.
| # | Pillar | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Trust & Loyalty
| 6 | why?Attributes: Steadiness, Loyalty, Selfless Service, dependable party-line service to a safe district with no documented courage-at-cost moment and no documented breach. A clean, unremarkable middle: no drag toward Cowardice or Self-Interest, but no high-mark sacrifice either. |
| II | Aspiration & Integrity
| 6 | why?Attributes: Conviction, Authenticity, Self-Reflection, consistent stated convictions; the pre-Congress county-contract appearance concern is a documented Integrity shadow she has not publicly reckoned with, holding this at a plain middle rather than higher. |
| III | Protection & Influence
| 6 | why?Attributes: Stewardship, Accountability, Protection, competent constituent service and committee work, no documented Exploitation. The 2017 contract-steering appearance concern is the lone Stewardship drag; absent an affirmative power-restraint anchor, the pillar sits at the center. |
| IV | Legacy & Virtue
| 6 | why?Attributes: Integrity, Justice, Love of Truth, a still-forming legacy (in office since late 2021) with no signature institutional-fidelity moment and no severity-class blemish. The unadjudicated county appearance concern is a minor asterisk; net a neutral middle. |
| TOTAL: Moderate | 24/40 |
Total 24/40, Adequate-middle. An honest centrist read for a relatively junior member: no extraordinary sacrifice or institutional-fidelity high-mark, and no severity-class breach. The pre-Congress appearance concern tempers the integrity and stewardship pillars without dominating them.
What the Four Pillars are & the questions behind each →
In their own words
“It is the honor of my life to represent the people of Ohio's 11th Congressional District.”
Statement upon being sworn in to the U.S. House · WKYC / Rep. Brown office · CIVIC · cite
Full personnel file
1. Identity
Shontel Monique Brown (born June 24, 1975). U.S. Representative for Ohio's 11th Congressional District (Cleveland/Akron area) since November 4, 2021, succeeding Marcia Fudge after a special election. Previously Cuyahoga County Council member (2015–2021) and chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. In the 119th Congress she serves as Vice Ranking Member on the House Agriculture Committee and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the New Democrat Coalition, and the Congressional Black Caucus.
2. Voting / Legislative Profile
Lugar/McCourt Bipartisan Index lower tier (negative score, roughly 334th in the House), a low cross-party cosponsorship profile consistent with a safe-seat, party-aligned member. Committee work centers on Agriculture (Vice Ranking Member). Caucus alignment (Progressive Caucus, New Democrat Coalition, CBC) is recorded as context and is NOT scored as conduct in either direction. Confirmation, impeachment, and Jan-6 certification votes are excluded from scoring as the constitutional process functioning.
3. Constitutional Moments
Took office November 4, 2021, after both the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus and the January 6, 2021 electoral-count certification. She is therefore not a Texas v. PA signatory and bears no certification conduct from that day. No documented institutional-fidelity stand at personal cost is on record, and no documented process-subversion conduct exists. A junior member without a defining constitutional moment in either direction.
4. Rhetoric & Discourse Profile
No documented pattern of enemy-making, incitement, or dehumanizing rhetoric (no criterion-10 conduct). Her competitive 2021 Democratic primary against Nina Turner featured sharp attack ads on both sides, within the range of ordinary political combat. Net middle: combative when contested, but no documented breach and no affirmative restraint high-mark.
5. Fiduciary Profile
The one fiduciary shadow is pre-Congress: as a Cuyahoga County Council member she voted in 2017 toward roughly $17 million in contracts to a firm (Perk) connected to her partner, Mark Perkins, while her campaign received about $13,000 from connected families. The Ohio Attorney General referred the matter to the auditor and then to the Ohio Ethics Commission in 2021; no settlement, charge, or finding was ever made public. Under the evidentiary rule this is a weighed APPEARANCE-concern, never a finding. During her House tenure there is no STOCK Act violation, no documented self-dealing, family payment, office-information trade, or foreign-government revenue. Raw wealth is not penalized.
6. Severity-Class Conduct
No documented severity-class conduct under any of the eight criteria. She took office after December 2020, so the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus and the January 6 certification are not on her record, no criterion-8 process-subversion flag. No documented sustained enemy-making or incitement pattern, no criterion-10 flag. Flag count: zero.
7. What The Framework Says
An honest middle record. Shontel Brown is a relatively junior, safe-seat member with dependable party-line service, competent committee work, and no severity-class blemish, and equally no extraordinary sacrifice, no own-side accountability moment at cost, and no signature institutional-fidelity stand. The low bipartisan index and the unadjudicated pre-Congress county-contract appearance concern are weighed as honest drags, not as findings. The standard records a centrist, adequate profile: clean of capping conduct, short of the high marks that distinguish the strongest records.
8. Sources & Where To Look Deeper
Tier 1 (primary): Congress.gov member profile · House financial disclosures (Clerk)
Tier 2: Lugar Center / McCourt Bipartisan Index · Ballotpedia
Research links: Congress.gov member profile · Ballotpedia · House financial disclosures · GovTrack · Wikipedia
Scores derive from the fixed Constitutional Weight Schedule. The bar does not move. Conduct, not party.