Composite 5.68 / 10, weighted per the Constitutional Weight Schedule.
Below the 700 bar, Author's Verdict: not supported.
Lands in the Adequate band at credit 596, below the 700 support line, Author's Verdict: not supported. (See section 7 for the full reasoning.)
- No military service on record
Dave Min has no military service record. Prior public service is civilian: SEC enforcement attorney, Senate Joint Economic Committee banking counsel, UC Irvine law professor, and California State Senator (2020–2024). No service badge applies; this field is note-only and does not move the composite.
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?Seated January 2025, so no exposure to the Dec 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus or 2020 certification, not a process-subversion concern. Oath-fidelity record is short and ordinary: routine roll-call participation and oversight work within constitutional channels. No documented stand against his own side at cost, but also no documented breach. Honest middle for a freshman with a thin oath-fidelity record. [source] |
| M02 | Party Over Country | 5 | why?Progressive Caucus member with a largely party-aligned freshman record; no Lugar/McCourt Bipartisan Index score yet exists for a member this junior. No documented marquee cross-aisle authorship, but partisan/caucus alignment is NOT itself a conduct demerit, scored on the absence of demonstrated institution-over-side conduct, not on his caucus. Middle. [source] |
| M03 | Persons of Equal Worth | 5 | why?One documented anti-belonging instance: a January 2025 X post calling a named White House official a 'Fake Christian' in a 'Golden Calf administration,' impugning her religious sincerity by name. A real persons-of-equal-worth lapse. Weighed as a single heated line aimed at an administration spokesperson, NOT a sustained documented pattern of casting opponents as enemies who don't belong, so no criterion-10 flag. Net middle: one real instance against an otherwise unremarkable record. [source] |
| M04 | Weaponization of Justice | 7 | why?No documented weaponization of state power against rivals. His oversight activity (pardon and Epstein-testimony inquiries) runs through ordinary committee process, which is the institution working, not abuse. No criterion-class conduct. [source] |
| M05 | Incitement / Anti-Belonging | 5 | why?Rhetoric is mostly conventional partisan messaging, but the January 2025 'Fake Christian / Golden Calf' post is a documented personal-character attack on a named individual's faith, a real rhetorical drag distinct from policy heat. One instance, not a pattern. Net middle. [source] |
| M06 | Fiduciary Conduct | 4 | why?May 2023 DUI while a sitting California state senator: arrested near the Capitol at nearly twice the legal limit, ran a red light with no headlights, pleaded no contest, received three years' probation, fines, and an alcohol-education program. A serious personal-judgment and public-safety lapse by an officeholder, a genuine character drag. Materially mitigated by immediate, unqualified ownership ('I accept full responsibility and there is no excuse for my actions') and the absence of any office-power or self-dealing dimension. Below-middle, not floored, because of the affirmative accountability. [source] |
| M07 | Duty to Call Out | 5 | why?The higher bar here is calling out one's OWN side at cost. No documented instance of Min doing so, but also no documented instance of him excusing his own side's misconduct. Short record; honest middle on the active call-out duty. [source] |
| M08 | The Discretion Test | 5 | why?No documented discretion-test moment, no recorded instance of declining preferential treatment or self-restraint at personal cost, and none of seeking it improperly either. The 2023 DUI is captured under M06 as a judgment lapse rather than a discretion abuse. Neutral middle for lack of a documented test. [source] |
| M09 | The No-Camera Test | 6 | why?No documented private/public contempt gap; no reporting of a hidden off-camera persona inconsistent with his public posture. Limited record keeps it at modest-positive rather than high. [source] |
| M10 | Constituent-vs-Donor Vote | 6 | why?Strong attendance discipline (missed 1 of 553 roll-call votes through May 2026) and constituent-facing committee work (Natural Resources, Oversight, Joint Economic) indicate institutional diligence. No documented donor-over-constituent capture. Modest-positive. [source] |
| M11 | Net-Worth Trajectory | 8 | why?No documented office-attributable enrichment, no self-dealing, family-payment, office-information trading, or foreign-government revenue on record. Per the contamination rule, raw personal wealth is NOT scored; only office-driven enrichment is, and none is documented. He authored a Financial Disclosure Modernization bill (Feb 2026). High. [source] |
| M12 | Floor Decorum | 6 | why?Generally observes institutional process and regular order in committee work. The 'Golden Calf administration' rhetoric is a minor decorum drag, but no documented disruption of institutional process. Modest-positive. [source] |
| M13 | Lying & Misleading | 6 | why?No documented sustained pattern of demonstrable falsehoods. The 'Fake Christian' post is a contestable value judgment rather than a factual lie, and is scored as a belonging/rhetoric drag (M03/M05), not a truthfulness breach. Modest-positive on the truthfulness axis. [source] |
| M14 | Knowledge Depth | 7 | why?Genuine subject-matter command: former SEC enforcement attorney, banking/housing law professor at UC Irvine, Joint Economic Committee banking counsel, testified before Congress six times as an outside expert before election. Substance over talking points in his domain. Upper-middle. [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 |
|---|---|---|
| M06 | May 2023 DUI while a sitting CA state senator, arrested near the Capitol at nearly twice the legal limit, ran a red light with no headlights; pleaded no contest, 3 years probation, fines, alcohol-education program ↳ Fiduciary judgment / public-safety lapse by an officeholder | Immediate unqualified ownership ('I accept full responsibility and there is no excuse'); no office-power or self-dealing dimension, personal conduct |
| M03 | January 2025 X post calling a named White House official a 'Fake Christian' in a 'Golden Calf administration,' impugning her faith by name ↳ Persons of Equal Worth, anti-belonging instance | Single heated line aimed at an administration spokesperson, not a sustained pattern; no criterion-10 flag |
| M05 | Same January 2025 'Fake Christian / Golden Calf' post, personal-character attack on a named individual rather than policy critique ↳ Rhetoric, personal attack drag | One documented instance, not a pattern |
| M02 | Largely party-aligned freshman voting record; no documented marquee cross-aisle authorship ↳ Absence of demonstrated institution-over-side conduct | Caucus/partisan alignment is not itself a demerit; record is short |
| Pillar II | The 2023 DUI is a documented break from the standard of self-government an officeholder owes (Temperance/Self-Reflection) ↳ Temperance drag | Affirmative ownership and completion of court-ordered program keeps the drag from deepening |
| Pillar IV | The 'Fake Christian' attack is an influence one would not want propagated (Justice/Love of Truth) and the DUI is a legacy asterisk (Integrity) ↳ Justice/Integrity drag | Both are owned or isolated instances, not a defining pattern; short record |
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, Diligence, strong attendance discipline and constitutional-channel oversight work. No documented courage-at-cost stand against his own side, and no documented betrayal of duty either. Short freshman record holds it at modest. |
| II | Aspiration & Integrity
| 5 | why?Attributes: Self-Reflection, Accountability, the unqualified ownership of the 2023 DUI is genuine and counts. Held down by the lapse itself (Temperance) and the impulsive 'Fake Christian' attack (Restraint). The self-correction is what keeps it mid rather than low. |
| III | Protection & Influence
| 6 | why?Attributes: Stewardship, Diligence, committee diligence and expert command of banking/housing policy; no documented exploitation of office or constituent-over-donor capture. Modest-positive. |
| IV | Legacy & Virtue
| 5 | why?Attributes: Integrity, Justice, too short a record to establish a durable legacy; the DUI asterisk and the religious-sincerity attack are real drags toward Ego/Favoritism that temper a thin but not disqualifying record. |
| TOTAL: Weak | 22/40 |
Total 22/40, Adequate. A short freshman record with two real character drags (the DUI, the personal religious attack) offset by subject-matter command and affirmative ownership of the DUI.
What the Four Pillars are & the questions behind each →
In their own words
“I accept full responsibility and there is no excuse for my actions.”
Public statement after his May 2023 DUI arrest near the California State Capitol · CBS Sacramento · ACCOUNTABILITY · cite
“@PressSec Karoline Leavitt is a Fake Christian, like so many in this Golden Calf administration.”
X post attacking a named White House official's religious sincerity, drawing bipartisan criticism · California Globe · CONTESTED · cite
Full personnel file
1. Identity
Dave Min (born March 5, 1976, Providence, RI). U.S. Representative for California's 47th congressional district (Orange County) since January 2025. Wharton B.S. (economics) and Penn B.A. (philosophy) 1999; Harvard Law J.D. 2002. Career: SEC enforcement attorney; economic/financial advisor to Sen. Chuck Schumer; banking counsel, Joint Economic Committee; policy director, Center for American Progress; law professor at UC Irvine (banking, capital markets, real-estate finance). California State Senator (37th district) 2020–2024. Member, Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
2. Voting / Legislative Profile
Freshman member of the 119th Congress; committees: Natural Resources, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Joint Economic Committee. Strong attendance, missed 1 of 553 roll-call votes (0.2%) through May 2026. Largely party-aligned voting record; no Lugar/McCourt Bipartisan Index score yet (insufficient tenure). Authored the Financial Disclosure Modernization Act (H.R. 7508, Feb 2026). Caucus alignment and policy positions are NOT scored here, only conduct against the oath.
3. Constitutional Moments
No marquee institutional-fidelity-at-cost moment on the short record. Oversight activity (inquiries into pardons and into Epstein-related testimony) proceeds through ordinary committee process, the institution working within constitutional channels, not abuse. Seated January 2025, so he had no involvement in the 2020 election certification or the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus.
4. Rhetoric & Discourse Profile
Mostly conventional partisan messaging, with one documented personal-character drag: a January 2025 X post calling White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt a 'Fake Christian' in a 'Golden Calf administration,' impugning a named individual's religious sincerity. It drew bipartisan criticism and is weighed as a real persons-of-equal-worth and rhetoric lapse, one heated instance, not a sustained enemy-making pattern, so no criterion-10 flag.
5. Fiduciary Profile
No documented office-attributable enrichment, no self-dealing, family payments, office-information trading, or foreign-government revenue on record; raw personal wealth is not scored per the framework. The genuine fiduciary concern is the May 2023 DUI as a sitting state senator: arrested near the Capitol at nearly twice the legal limit, no-contest plea, three years' probation, fines, and an alcohol-education program, a serious public-safety and judgment lapse, materially mitigated by immediate, unqualified ownership.
6. Severity-Class Conduct
No documented Severity-class (criterion-8 or criterion-10) conduct. Seated after December 2020, so he could not have signed the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus and was not present for the 2020 certification, no process-subversion flag. The 'Fake Christian' post is a single heated line, not a documented sustained pattern of enemy-making or incitement, no criterion-10 flag. Flag count: zero.
7. What The Framework Says
A short freshman record graded on conduct only. Dave Min brings real subject-matter command (SEC, banking law, housing policy) and institutional diligence (near-perfect attendance, channel-respecting oversight), with no documented self-dealing or abuse of state power. Against that sit two honest character drags: a 2023 DUI committed as a sitting state senator, owned without excuse, and a January 2025 personal attack on a named official's religious sincerity. No capping or terminal flag applies. Net Adequate, a thin but not disqualifying record with real, owned blemishes.
8. Sources & Where To Look Deeper
Tier 1 (primary): Congress.gov member profile · House Office of the Clerk
Tier 2: GovTrack · CBS Sacramento, DUI arrest coverage
Research links: Congress.gov member profile · Ballotpedia · GovTrack · House Financial Disclosures (Clerk) · Wikipedia
Scores derive from the fixed Constitutional Weight Schedule. The bar does not move. Conduct, not party.