Sen. Susan Collins cast her 5,000th consecutive roll call vote on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon, earning a round of applause and standing ovation from her Senate colleagues and speeches of praise from the chamber’s majority and minority leaders.
The 5,000th consecutive vote places the Maine Republican third on the all-time list of senators with the longest voting streaks.
Current Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican, has a longer voting streak: 6,444 votes dating to 1993. But the all-time record holder is Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire, a Democrat who cast 10,252 consecutive votes from April 20, 1966, to Oct. 18, 1988.
Collins’ streak stretches back to Jan. 3, 1997, when she was sworn in. Her 5,000th vote on Thursday was against a motion to table a small-business tax incentive measure. The motion ultimately was tabled.
Senate business came to a brief halt on the Senate floor Thursday to acknowledge Collins’ milestone.
“We all know she’s one of the hardest-working members of the United States Senate,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Republican leader.
“It is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. “I appreciate her ability to work with us, work with everybody. She is somebody, you never have to guess where she stands on an issue.”
“A lot of us have cast 5,000 votes,” Reid added, “but it is ridiculous the example she has set, never missing a vote.”
Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe issued a statement congratulating her colleague.
“Since she entered the chamber in 1997, Susan has been an inexhaustible champion for Maine, and this tremendous milestone is indicative of her unmistakable work ethic.”
According to her office, Collins cast her first vote on Jan. 22, 1997, to confirm Madeleine Albright as secretary of state. Her second vote was to confirm Bill Cohen, whom she replaced in the Senate, as secretary of defense.
Collins said in a statement that her voting streak was inspired by the late Maine Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, whose streak of 2,941 consecutive votes over 13 years is fifth longest in Senate history.
Ah, yes – the way life used to be…….and still should!
http://tinyurl.com/cou2uuy
Congrats and thanks! Senator Collins.
Who cares? It is more important as to how she voted. All she has done is straddle the hog. Nothing memorable here.
I think it is a testament to her dedication and work ethic that she hasn’t missed a vote. You have to be present & make your opinion known with every vote, and sometimes that is difficult to do. There is a famous story of a legislator hiding in a restroom in Augusta, because that legislator couldn’t make a decision on a workers’ comp vote. Standing up 5,000 times to be counted on behalf of Maine is an accomplishment. Congratulations Senator Collins, and thank you!
Imagine….. someone who goes to work everyday and does their best. We are proud of you and the message you send to the nation about Maine people. Keep up the good work.
That is an awful lot of votes for Post Office names Suzie. So sad none of your few votes help poor Mainers. You represent your self and the Republican Party. Bet you can’t even remember what state you represent?
She represents Grover and MHPC no one else counts in GOP mini minds.
Senator Reid said it all–“I appreciate her ability to work with us,……”as she voted with the Dems more often than not.
“More often than not”
Care to back up that statement? I bet you can’t :)
Yeah, and procedural votes don’t count. Let’s hear about actual legislation.
I worked for an American Company that gave out service awards to it’s Employees for such dedicated service. Perfect attendance got you a year end bonus, 10 years got you a wrist watch 40 years got you a Gold Clock!
Then it sold out to a foriegn company and the CEO made the comment “why are we paying bonuses for people to show up? We need to fire the ones that don’t. Shortly there after they packed up some machines sent them to Mexico, and laid half the work force off. An old guy about ready to retire, laughed and laughed, he said “you know for 40 + years I was the Deadbeat that used to take Time off every summer to camp with my kids”, they all remember him to this day for that , and NO he didn’t get a Gold Clock!
Since then I have written to Susan Collins about the outsourcing of jobs, her reply was that we had to let Corporations Grow their Buisness overseas —to bring jobs back!
So, they shipped my job to Mexico, stiffed me on my pension, and my kids ask me where was I when they where little, but I have a Company Gold wrist watch band,
I put some treble hooks on it and store it in my fishing Tackle Box in effigy, I call it the W*#^%@ Wobbler!
What did she vote on? Was it something worthwhile or making September national take a day off to gamble month?
Congratulations, Senator Collins.
Thank you Senator Collins. Your hard work has helped Maine time and time again. We are lucky to have you as our senator!