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Official portrait of Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.

Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.

D Democrat · Representative, Georgia 2nd district
26
Moderate self-dealing
4/6 components have data
#64 of 193 scored

Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA2), a senior House Appropriations subcommittee leader since 1993, has no record of individual-stock trading and a modest disclosed net worth (~$153K in 2018), so the wealth-related metrics score low. His most significant accountability event was a 2020 Office of Congressional Ethics referral alleging improper personal use of campaign and official funds (golf, meals, fuel, Hilton Head family vacations); Bishop reimbursed many charges, and in January 2025 the House Ethics Committee closed the matter, finding non-compliance with personal-use rules but no intentional violation. His campaign money correlates with district agricultural interests and AFLAC (his home district), which aligns with his Agriculture Appropriations role though no quid-pro-quo is established. His career missed-vote rate (3.5%) is modestly above the chamber median but not extreme.

Public record

In Congress since
1993
Committees
Appropriations
Missed votes, 119th Congress
1.9% (13 of 674; median member 1.9%)
Campaign money, 2025–26 cycle
$1.1M raised · 66% from PACs & committees · $448K cash on hand FEC ↗

The stock-trading ban

H.R. 7008 passage, Jul 22, 2026
No
Cosponsored a ban bill
None

H.R. 7008 bans new stock purchases by members, spouses and dependents; it doesn't force sales of existing holdings. The Senate vote was on the version paired with the SAVE Act, which is why no Democrat voted yes. Full breakdown →

Disclosed stock trades

No periodic transaction reports on file since 2024. That's the norm: most members don't trade individual stocks, or hold them in blind trusts and diversified funds.

Amounts are the ranges members must report, not exact values. The STOCK Act requires a report within 45 days of a trade; "late" counts days past that deadline, measured to the filing date.

How the score breaks down

Stock self-tradingno data
25% weight
—
No individual-stock trades found for Bishop on congressional trade trackers (Capitol Trades, Quiver) or in disclosures; modest net worth dominated by non-stock assets. No STOCK Act trading activity identified.
No Bishop individual-stock trades surface on congressional trade-tracking platforms.Data aggregatorcapitoltrades.com ↗
Net-worth enrichment in office
15% weight
0
OpenSecrets estimated Bishop's net worth at roughly $153,502 (2018), modest for a long-tenured member, with no evidence of growth beyond salary/market. No abnormal enrichment identified.
Bishop's estimated net worth was about $153,502 based on 2018 filings.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗
Money → action alignmentcorrelation, not proof of any quid-pro-quo
20% weight
30
Correlation, not proof: Bishop's top career donors concentrate in crop production/basic processing (~$188K) and AFLAC (~$49K, based in his district), aligning with his role as ranking member of the Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee. Typical of constituent-industry alignment; no quid-pro-quo established.
Crop Production & Basic Processing (~$188,250) and AFLAC (~$49,475) are top contributors to Bishop, who leads the Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗
Campaign-fund personal use
15% weight
55
A 2020 OCE report alleged Bishop improperly spent tens of thousands in campaign/official funds on personal expenses (golf, meals, fuel, liquor/groceries during family Hilton Head vacations; >$30K dues/range fees 2009-2019). He reimbursed many charges; Jan 2025 House Ethics closed the case finding non-compliance but no intentional violation.
OCE found Bishop may have improperly spent campaign/official funds on golf, meals, travel, fuel and entertainment, including Hilton Head vacation expenses.News reportingwashingtonpost.com ↗House Ethics closed the matter finding members did not fully comply with personal-use standards, but violations were not intentional.Official recordethics.house.gov ↗
Revolving door & familyno data
15% weight
—
No sourced evidence of family lobbying/contracts tied to Bishop's office or a documented staff-to-lobbyist pipeline. No findings to report.
Skips the job to fundraise
10% weight
15
Career missed-vote rate is 3.5% (730 of 20,900 votes, 1993-May 2026), above the median 2.1% of currently serving members but not extreme. No evidence of heavy paid speeches; modest signal only.
Bishop missed 3.5% of roll-call votes (730 of 20,900) over his career, worse than the 2.1% median.Reference databasegovtrack.us ↗

Sources behind this score: 1 data aggregator · 3 reference database · 1 news reporting · 1 official record. Score = weighted average of the components that have data; the 2 without sourced evidence are excluded, never counted against the member. Methodology →

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