Lance described himself as a "moderate conservative" and a "deficit hawk." In 2018, NJ.com described him as "New Jersey's most vulnerable Republican lawmaker in a state that clearly doesn't like President Donald Trump," making him "more willing to vote against Trump and his GOP colleagues." In 2017, his voting record was more liberal and less conservative than his lifetime record in Congress, causing Lance's ratings from conservative interest groups to dip while his ratings from liberal interest groups improved. He opposed efforts by his party to repeal the Affordable Care Act and voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which targeted New Jersey and other high-tax states. "Congressional Quarterly" found that only eight other Republican members of Congress were more likely than Lance to cross party lines. In the first session of the 115th United States Congress, the Lugar Center rated Lance the 13th most bipartisan House member, up from 75th in 2016.