Senators that were very bad fits for their states?

[wnwnwn]

For example, James L. Buckley, a Conservative Party New York senator in the 1970s.
Currently, Ron Johnson I suppose.

[Vice President Christian Man]

Neither senators from Kentucky represents their state very well. Also Manchin is an honorable mention, less so because of his ideology and more so because of his pharma and corporate ties.

[Zenobiyl]

Edward Brooke [MA] - First elected black senator of one of the whitest states in the country.

[Vice President Christian Man]

Edward Brooke [MA] - First elected black senator of one of the whitest states in the country.

From a demographic point of view this is true, but ideologically he was a great fit.

[wnwnwn]

Edward Brooke [MA] - First elected black senator of one of the whitest states in the country.

That's like saying the the Sununus are such a very fit for NH.

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

Rick Santorum for Pennsylvania. He was a good fit for slightly less than half the state, I guess, but his extreme social conservativism was certainly not a good fit for Metro Philadelphia (and Pittsburgh.)

[Shaula🏳️‍⚧️]

Neither senators from Kentucky represents their state very well. Also Manchin is an honorable mention, less so because of his ideology and more so because of his pharma and corporate ties.

Shelley Moore Capito also is not a good fit for WV, given that she's more socially liberal than most Republicans and is extremely economically conservative.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

How about two from the class of '94? Rod Grams of Minnesota and Spencer Abraham of Michigan. Neither one is moderate. Surprising these two could win even in a red wave, but I guess it was a function of less polarization then.

[Del Tachi]

Honestly, probably someone like Kristen Gillibrand.  She was an upstate conservadem prior to being appointed in 2009.  She's certainly evolved since her tenure in the House, but overall has an unlikely profile to be New York's senator.  Hochul is also somewhat the same way, but as governor.

Also, Dick Durbin...since he's an Illinois Democrat from non-Chicago.  Unlikely to see any downstate Dems winning in Illinois after him.   

[Fuzzy Bear]

Sen. Frank Church (D-ID)

Sen. Frank Moss (D-UT)

Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D-TX)

Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL)

Sen. J. Glenn Beall (R-MD)

Sen. Rod Grams (R-MN)

Sen. James Abouresk (D-SD)

Sen. Fred Harris (D-OK)

I've gone way back in history somewhat, so most of the bad fits are Democrats.  As the country has, over time, realigned from Democratic to Republican, more than vice versa, these results are not unexpected. 

[Mr. Smith]

Malcolm Wallop (R-WY)

Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

Cory Gardner (R-CO)

Vance Hartke (D-IN)

Kyrsten Sinema (D/I-AZ)

Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL)

Estes Kefauver (D-TN)

[President Johnson]

Ron Johnson actually is too right-wing for a battleground state. He just got bailed out by running in favorable cycles and against flawed opponents.

[Zenobiyl]

Larry Pressler of South Dakota; liberal Republican in a not-so-liberal state.

And my personal favorite: Glen Taylor, firebrand progressive and Henry Wallace’s 1948 running mate was senator of Idaho

[Steve from Lambeth]

Also, Dick Durbin...since he's an Illinois Democrat from non-Chicago.  Unlikely to see any downstate Dems winning in Illinois after him.    

My favourite Dick Durbin fact is that he is at the centre of an Epic Rap Battle between two immigrant groups.

Immigration Voice hate his guts so much that they made a website, durbinisracist.com to call him racist against Indian immigrants - all because he tried to block S. 386, which would have repealed the Green Card per-country cap, in July 2020. (He abandoned his objection in August, but the website lives.) They promoted the website using the address truthaboutdurbin.com, presumably to avoid offending his more unassuming fans.

They are so extreme on the issue of S. 386, and its sister bills in past and future Congresses, that they will not support any immigration reform bill that does not contain it. They have also said that a rival group, Support All of Us, is an Iranian propaganda outlet. Support All of Us urged them around that time to "stop calling us names", and for their part have supported a Durbin bill that competed with S. 386.

[wnwnwn]

Larry Pressler of South Dakota; liberal Republican in a not-so-liberal state.

And my personal favorite: Glen Taylor, firebrand progressive and Henry Wallace’s 1948 running mate was senator of Idaho

Idaho was a progressive lenaing state until the 1930s. It started to change in the 1940s (FDR won it by little in 1944, Truman won it in 1948 by little despite being a better fit, and the rest you know), but it wasn't Maine or Kansas.