However, Snyder stood out among the state’s fellow Democratic elected officials by taking more progressive positions than many of his moderate to conservative co-partisans in Arkansas. His voting behavior was described as being “close to the center of House Democrats, but his [is] the most liberal in the Arkansas delegation and occasional maverick. He voted for needle exchanges and against the partial-birth abortion ban. In 2004, he opposed a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.”³ Perhaps the two most controversial votes of Snyder’s Congressional career were his opposition to the authorization of military force in Iraq in 2003 and support of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. However, Snyder also took more moderate positions on balancing the federal budget, trade, and veterans’ issues. In the U.S. House, Snyder’s committee assignments included Veterans Affairs, Armed Services, and chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee for Oversight and Investigations.

While serving in Congress, Snyder refused to fundraise in off-years. This freed him of some of the strain plaguing House members, who often feel they must constantly prepare for the next election cycle. Snyder admitted this made it challenging to recoup the funds to campaign, but he believed it was healthier for democracy, the governmental system, and the individual member of Congress to focus on the role he was elected to do instead of fundraising. His reputation for integrity and thoughtfulness crossed the ideological divide. In 2004, the conservative statewide newspaper, the Democrat-Gazette, endorsed Snyder’s re-election bid over a Republican challenger, explaining, “While we may abhor some of his political stances, there is no doubting the sincerity with which he takes them. Or his patriotism…We’re endorsing an honorable opponent today, not his politics.”