Orrin Hatch nets highest marks from conservative group

The American Conservative Union rewards Sen. Orrin Hatch's 2010 voting record with a perfect score of 100 in ratings released Wednesday. In addition to Hatch, 11 other senators also received a perfect score for last year.

ACU fashions itself as "America's oldest and largest grassroots conservative organization" and is the driving force behind the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC 2011 kicks off tomorrow in Washington, D.C.). The organization calculates its annual ratings for every member of Congress by determining how often each politician voted in accordance with positions that ACU considers foundational for conservatives.

An ACU seal of approval for Hatch comes the day after the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee courted Tea Party Express support during a town hall meeting by exuding an affable and approachable demeanor.

Hatch's career ACU rating is 89.5. For comparison's sake, former Sen. Bob Bennett's conservative voting ratings are 86 and 83.8 for 2010 and his career, respectively.

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