Which Republican Is The Biggest Liar According To PolitiFact

There are few things as satisfying as exposing Republicans for their lies. Here at the Burnt Orange Report, we love to remind our readers just how frequently Republicans are guilty of such practice. But while a “Republicans lie a lot” news article would not exactly be very news-breaking, perhaps taking a closer look at who is the biggest liar out of the statewide GOP candidates may paint us a more detailed picture of the horrible tendency they all have of doing. So we took a look at PolitiFact in order to break down each candidate’s record.

The statewide candidates examined in this article are Governor Rick Perry, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (running for re-election), Attorney General Greg Abbott (Republican candidate for Governor of Texas), state Sen. Dan Patrick (Republican candidate for Lt. Governor), state Sen. Ken Paxton (Republican candidate for Attorney General), state Sen. Glenn Hegar (Republican candidate for Texas Comptroller), and George P. Bush (Republican candidate for Land Commissioner).

PolitiFact did not have a page for former state Rep. Sid Miller (Republican candidate for Agriculture Commissioner), but that’s not to say he’s any good, either — Miller is currently facing an ethics complaint for collecting over $21,000 dollars in interests on a loan he made to his own campaign fund back in 2000. What a sweet deal.

The order of candidates below will be according from the candidates with the least lies on record/highest truth percentage to the candidates with the most lies exposed/highest untrue percentages.

John Cornyn.

While it may come as a surprise to many — especially considering how long he has held a grip on office — U.S. Senator John Cornyn has one of the more positive profiles when compared to his fellow Republican colleagues on PolitiFact. But that is not to say he has gone without any lies — 29% of Cornyn’s statements on record have been exposed as untrue by PolitiFact. The rest of his statements are considered at least half true, which says a lot compared to other Republicans.

Ken Paxton.

Ken Paxton’s profile is relatively small. It could be because Paxton has been doing a whole lot of hiding and a lot less talking ever since he was forced to admit to a third-degree felony. This confession was made while campaigning for Attorney General — office in charge of upholding the law in Texas (ironic, yes).

While his profile on PolitiFact shows only 33% of his statements have been exposed as untrue, admitting to his third-degree felony crime has most certainly earned Paxton the title of biggest crook.

George P. Bush.

Up next is George P. Bush. The nephew and grandson of former President George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush, George P. Bush has not had a lot of time under the spotlight yet. This year is the first time Bush is running for statewide office in Texas, so his profile on PolitiFact is pretty even. Thus far, Bush’s record shows him as having made both “Mostly True” and “Mostly False” statements. But if this is the type of record we can expect from a “moderate” Republican, then maybe Bush isn’t so different from other Republicans, after all.

Glenn Hegar.

Glenn Hegar’s profile is also relatively small, and leaves plenty more to be desired from a candidate running for an office he has no previous professional experience in. PolitiFact’s rulings on Hegar shows him only as “False.”

Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick.

Deciding who is the biggest liar between Abbott and Patrick is a tough one. Based on percentages, Abbott’s profile shows he has made statements that have been at least “Half True” 55% of the time, yet he has also made more “Pants on Fire” statements than Patrick. Meanwhile, Patrick’s profile shows he has made untrue statements 50% of the time, with his highest category being straight-out “False” at 25% of his total rulings.

Taking this into account, Dan Patrick is a bigger liar than Greg Abbott. Yet, both Patrick and Abbott are seriously trying their hardest to out beat one another.

So, then — Who is the biggest liar between Rick Perry and Ted Cruz?

The last two profiles are the most interesting because they are also the biggest. PolitiFact has dug deep on both Rick Perry and Ted Cruz throughout the years, and has exposed many, many of their lies.

By numbers, Perry’s profile dwarfs Cruz’s profile. Yet, taking a closer look at their “Mostly False,” “False,” and “Pants on Fire” percentages, a very clear commonality begins to show between the two — both Perry and Cruz have a nasty habit of lying.

Yet, percentage wise, Perry’s 47% of untrue rulings (combined total between “Mostly False,” “False,” and “Pants on Fire”) comes no where close to Cruz’s combined untrue percentage. According to PolitiFact’s rulings, Cruz’s combined “Mostly False,” “False,” and “Pants on Fire” equal to a staggering 67%. Ted Cruz’s “True” percentage is a miserable 3%.

The clear winner (err.. loser?) is Ted Cruz. He’s the biggest liar among statewide Texas Republicans.

For more members, you can examine other political profiles here.

Follow Omar on Twitter at @AraizaTX.