Who is your favorite United States Senator from history?

[HST1948]

No Patricular Order:
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan
- Lloyd Bentsen
- Robert LaFolette
- Robert Kennedy
- Hubert Humphrey
- Frank Church
- George McGovern
- Henry "Scoop" Jackson

[SNJ1985]

Some of my favorites...

William E. Jenner (R-Indiana)
Josiah Bailey (D-North Carolina)
Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) (read this)
John Marshall Butler (R-Maryland)
Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania)
Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina)

[Lincoln Republican]

OK, I can't deny it any longer.

One of my favorites.

Senator Richard M Nixon of California.

There, I said it.

[SATW]

I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this, but, Robert Byrd.

Actually a pretty popular opinion, but it is kind of ironic given how "liberally" you accuse others of racism, LOL.

Anyway, in no particular order:

Everett Dirksen (R-IL)
Prescott Bush (R-CT)
Charles Sumner (R-MA)
Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA)
Edward Brooke (R-MA)
Sam Nunn (D-GA)
Robert Stafford (R-VT)
Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Irving Ives (R-NY)
Jacob Collamer (R-VT)

Probably forgetting some.

I feel like a fake republican for forgetting to list these amazing people. Great choices, RINO Tom.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this, but, Robert Byrd.

Actually a pretty popular opinion, but it is kind of ironic given how "liberally" you accuse others of racism, LOL.

Anyway, in no particular order:

Everett Dirksen (R-IL)
Prescott Bush (R-CT)
Charles Sumner (R-MA)
Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA)
Edward Brooke (R-MA)
Sam Nunn (D-GA)
Robert Stafford (R-VT)
Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Irving Ives (R-NY)
Jacob Collamer (R-VT)

Probably forgetting some.

I feel like a fake republican for forgetting to list these amazing people. Great choices, RINO Tom.

Trivia: Everett Dirksen was the father-in-law of another Senator who's appeared in this thread, Howard Baker.  (And more trivia: Baker's second marriage was to Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum, so he almost had two famous Republican fathers-in-law, but for the fact that Alf Landon died years before Baker and Kassebaum married.)

[SATW]

Alright, making a list of my favorites since I forgot too many great people.

Republicans:
1. Everett Dirksen, R-IL
2. Al D'Amato, R-NY
3. William F. Knoweland, R-CA
4. Margaret Chase Smih, R-ME
5. Howard Baker, R-TN
6. Robert Taft, R-OH (Obviously because of his economics/domestic views, not his isolationism lol, but also because of his surprisingly strong Christian Zionism)
7. Chic Hecht, R-NV
8. John Danforth, R-MO
9. Barry Goldwater, R-AZ
10. James L. Buckley, C/R-NY
11. Tom Coburn, R-OK
12. Irving Ives, R-NY
13. Arthur Vandenberg, R-MI

Democrats:
1. Henry "Scoop" Jackson, D-WA
2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-NY
3. Joseph Lieberman, D/I-CT
4. Bobby Kennedy, D-NY
5. Birch Bayh, D-IN
6. Edward Zorinsky, D-NE
7. Lloyd Bentsen, D-TX
8. Evan Bayh, D-IN

I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this, but, Robert Byrd.

Actually a pretty popular opinion, but it is kind of ironic given how "liberally" you accuse others of racism, LOL.

Anyway, in no particular order:

Everett Dirksen (R-IL)
Prescott Bush (R-CT)
Charles Sumner (R-MA)
Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA)
Edward Brooke (R-MA)
Sam Nunn (D-GA)
Robert Stafford (R-VT)
Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Irving Ives (R-NY)
Jacob Collamer (R-VT)

Probably forgetting some.

I feel like a fake republican for forgetting to list these amazing people. Great choices, RINO Tom.

Trivia: Everett Dirksen was the father-in-law of another Senator who's appeared in this thread, Howard Baker. (And more trivia: Baker's second marriage was to Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum, so he almost had two famous Republican fathers-in-law, but for the fact that Alf Landon died years before Baker and Kassebaum married.)

Wow, never knew that. That's pretty cool!

[Webnicz]

1. - Carl Hayden (D-AZ)
       I personally believe that had Hayden not shepherded through congress legislation creating the Central Arizona Project, along with the Colorado River Basin Project Act, Arizona wouldn't be as economically developed as it is today due to lack of water.

2. - Ernest McFarland (D-AZ)
        Also known as the father of the G.I Bill - that should say it all

Interesting how AZ (a state born during the Progressive era) at one point was a leader in the progressive movement

[Webnicz]

1. - Carl Hayden (D-AZ)
       I personally believe that had Hayden not shepherded through congress legislation creating the Central Arizona Project, along with the Colorado River Basin Project Act, Arizona wouldn't be as economically developed as it is today due to lack of water. Truly unfortunate how this man has close to no name recognition in the state he helped build

2. - Ernest McFarland (D-AZ)
        Also known as the father of the G.I Bill - that should say it all

Interesting how AZ (a state born during the Progressive era) at one point was a leader in the progressive movement

[Kamala]

I gave my choices of democrats - Kefauver and the elder Bayh - so my republican choice: Arthur Vandenburg. I greatly respect him.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Paul Simon

[Miles]

Allen Ellender.

[SATW]

I gave my choices of democrats - Kefauver and the elder Bayh - so my republican choice: Arthur Vandenburg. I greatly respect him.

I knew I forgot someone else lol

[Dr. MB]

Wayne Morse (R-OR, then I-OR, then D-OR).

Not including anyone currently in the Senate.

Honorable mentions:
Robert La Follette Sr. (R-WI)
Robert La Follette Jr. (P-WI)
Burton K. Wheeler (D-MT)
Frank Church (D-ID)
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Ernest Gruening (D-AK)
Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Ralph Yarborough (D-TX)
Birch Bayh (D-IN)
George McGovern (D-SD)
Huey Long (D-LA)
Hiram Johnson (R-CA)
Paul Wellstone (D-MN)
Glen Taylor (D-ID)
Charles McNary (R-OR)
William Langer (R-ND)
Lynn Frazier (R-ND)
Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY)

[Saint Milei]

Rand Paul
Robert A. Taft
Barry Goldwater

in that order

[Blair]

In terms of actually being a Senator- Ted Kennedy by far.

He spend 40+ years fighting for every liberal cause (including ones like abortion and gay rights which   liberals of his generation ignored) and did a lot more than either of his brothers to engrave actual liberal policies into law.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

In terms of actually being a Senator- Ted Kennedy by far.

He spend 40+ years fighting for every liberal cause (including ones like abortion and gay rights which   liberals of his generation ignored) and did a lot more than either of his brothers to engrave actual liberal policies into law.

The only thing he could really have done better honestly was retiring in 2006 to avoid the 2010 special election disaster, but he had no way of suspecting it would happen, nor did he live to see it.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Robert Kennedy and Ralph Yarborough.

[The Mikado]

My boy Fightin' Bob La Follette

This is a good choice. His No vote on entering WWI is a big point in his favor.

Hubert Humphrey is a strong pick IMO, although I'm not sure if he's ruled out due to also having been VP.

[Very Legal & Very Cool]

The first name to come to mind was Bob LaFollette but I'd put Ted Kennedy and Estes Kefauver up there too.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Jacob K. Javits (R-NY)
Clifford P. Case (R-NJ)
Paul Wellstone (D-MN)
Philip Hart (D-MI)

Case once stated that if the problems of our nation were not addressed and solved by moderate progressives, then extremists at both ends of the spectrum would be providing the solutions, and those solutions would be less satisfactory.  This has turned out to be prophetic.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Just a couple

Nelson Rockefeller
Jacob Javits
Wayne Morse
Edward Brooke
Margaret Chase-Smith

[America Needs R'hllor]

Democrats:
1. John Glenn (D-OH)
2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY)
3. Howard Matzenbaum (D-OH)
4. Birch Bayh (D-IN)
5. Henry 'Scoop' Jackson

Republicans:
1. Jakob Javits (R-NY)
2. Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME)
3. George Voinovich (R-OH)
4. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. (R-CT)
5. Edward Brooke (R-MA)

Overall: John Glenn (D-OH)

[136or142]

For more modern U.S Senators: Dale Bumpers. 

[Joe Biden 2024]

1: Ted Kennedy
2: Joe Biden
3: Edmund Muskie

[pbrower2a]

Charles Percy (R); Lloyd Bentsen (D).

To add some others" Ed Brooke (R)
Jacob Javits (R)
William Proxmire (D)
Edward Kennedy (D)
Hubert Humphrey (D)
Richard Lugar (R)

Least:

Joseph R. McCarthy
Jesse Helms