Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 5
Susan Collins Sets Senate Record With 10,000th Consecutive Vote as She Seeks a 6th Term
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 5

Susan Collins Sets Senate Record With 10,000th Consecutive Vote as She Seeks a 6th Term

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 5

Summary

  • 10,000 consecutive roll-call votes made Susan Collins the first senator to reach that mark without an absence since taking office in 1997.
  • Thursday's record-setting vote came when the Maine Republican broke with her party to back an unsuccessful Democratic motion to send an immigration bill back to committee over Medicaid-benefit losses and denials.
  • 29 years of never missing a vote reflect what Collins describes as a refusal to be recorded as not voting, despite early advice from senior senators to miss one vote and avoid the pressure of a streak.
  • The milestone lands as Collins, now a powerful committee chairwoman, faces a tough bid for a sixth term and highlights the experience-and-discipline message at the center of her campaign.

Insights

Does perfect attendance equal effective representation in the U.S. Senate?
Can a candidate’s controversial past be overcome by a promise for political change?