RENDER

What is Render?

Render is a nonpartisan evaluation of how closely a politician's legislative record (i.e., votes, executive actions, sponsored legislation) aligns with Catholic Social Teaching.

We track 13 issues across two categories. The first category analyzes candidates on Intrinsic Evils, which is weighted at a 2x score, as these topics are moral absolutes to which the Church admits no exceptions. The second is Prudential Issues, which is weighted at a 1x score, as these issues are areas where the Church mandates ends but allows debate on means.

Each politician receives two composite scores. The first, Composite A, evaluates a candidate's “doctrinal purity,” or how aligned their overall record is with Church teaching. The second, Composite B, measures a pragmatic Catholic score by identifying which issues a politician actually has influence over and evaluating whether their actions align with Church teaching. The gap between the two scores reveals whether their alignment with Catholic belief is genuine or merely performative.

All of our scores are sourced and auditable - click here to learn more about our methodology.