Would you rather be a Senator or a Representative?

[Suburbia]

I'd rather be a Senator, because I don't have to mortgage my home or move to a different apartment because of congressional redistricting.

Senators serve 6-year terms, Representatives serve 2-year terms and could be redistricted out of office or forced to move to another town, costing financial resources due to Censuses.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Senator. 

Just something about representing your entire state that piques my fancy over being a House rep. 

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Senator. 

Just something about representing your entire state that piques my fancy over being a House rep. 

[SnowLabrador]

Senator. I'd rather campaign once every six years than once every other year.

[Left Wing]

Rep. I could be a lot more in tune with people I represent. I also would like being lower profile.

[ProgressiveModerate]

Senator. More power, plus more likely to actually be a deciding vote on so many issues. in the hosue you are just voting for a huge block and will pretty much never change the outcome, let alone anyone's mind. I feel like as a senator, you are also held up to a higher standard because of this, whereas most people don't know/don't care how their local representative voted on different issues

[Not Me, Us]

Definitely senator. You have way more influence as 1/100 than 1/435, and only have to campaign every six years. On the other hand, senate campaigns are on the whole much more competitive and difficult. There are way more safe house districts than safe senate seats.

[Del Tachi]

Senators have more power, serve on more committees, and pretty much move up automatically based on seniority.  As long as your able to keep getting reelected as a senator, you can continue to wield more and more power while giving less and less thought to what your colleagues think of you.

Members of the House are obviously way lower-profile, but their main drag is that party leadership is much more influential in the House.  A "majority of the majority" can basically whip anything it wants to in the House, and more senior members are  routinely sidelined to accommodate the Leadership's priorities.

[Tekken_Guy]

Because I'm a Republican, I'd never get elected to the Senate in New Jersey; at least, not anytime in the near future. I'd probably enjoy the Senate more as there's more power to be had there.

[Gracile]

Representative because I find the House more interesting as an institution.

[brucejoel99]

Depends. In general, I'd rather be an individual Senator than an individual Representative for all of the reasons that everybody else has stated above (more power & influence, only up for re-election every 6 years compared to every 2 years, representing your whole state, etc.), but I'd also rather be Speaker of the House than Senate Majority Leader.

[WD]

Senate by far. I’ve always found it to be an interesting institution.

[Anna Komnene]

I would have more in common with the House caucus, which is more diverse and less wealthy than the Senate. The problem is I've heard Representatives are pretty much constantly on the phone fundraising. Even if you're in a safe seat, you're expected to fill a quota for the party. If I'm going to do that, I'd rather do it working for a non-profit where the money actually goes to something good rather than serving in Congress. The Senate at least has more space between elections even if it means I'd have to go sailing and play polo or croquet.

[😥]

Depends. In general, I'd rather be an individual Senator than an individual Representative for all of the reasons that everybody else has stated above (more power & influence, only up for re-election every 6 years compared to every 2 years, representing your whole state, etc.), but I'd also rather be Speaker of the House than Senate Majority Leader.

[Storr]

"I went to see Lyndon Johnson, and I was telling him I wanted to run for Senate. And he said, "The difference between the Senate and the House is the difference between chicken salad and chicken sh**t." Johnson was amazing."              - George H.W. Bush

source: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/interviews/a9104/george-hw-bush-quotes-0111/

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Senate, but I would only serve one term.

[YE]

Representative because I find the House more interesting as an institution.

This but I would feel so weird repping an ugly shaped district.

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

representative, like it more local

[Ferguson97]

Senate. I don't really care enough about local issues to effectively campaign as a Rep, and I like that the Senate is higher prestige.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

US Senator from a safe red/blue state is far and away the cushiest job in world politics for the influence and prestige it accrues relative to the effort you have to put in and how likely it is you'd lose re-election.

I'd love to be a Bernie-type in Vermont or somewhere, tramping around on the national stage being a leftist firebrand on issues I care about, get a seat on the foreign relations committee and go hob knobbing with world leaders. Can't think of many better jobs in any walk of life.

[smoltchanov]

Representative. Abhor to collect money, and Senate race usually requires much more.

[Battista Minola 1616]

Representative. Abhor to collect money, and Senate race usually requires much more.

But if you are Senator you have a much longer time between an election and the other during which you don't need to collect money. Something like four years versus some months.

[Orser67]

I'd much rather be a senator. Six-year election cycles alone would make it worth it, but you're also a lot more powerful by virtue of being part of a smaller institution and having a say on appointments and treaties. This aspect probably wouldn't affect me, but it's also a better stepping stone to run on a national ticket.

I suppose I can see the appeal of the House in terms of being lower profile and (depending on the state) closer to the people of your district, but having to run for re-election every two years would be a nightmare. Even in a safe district you'd still have to deal with primaries.

[Orwell]

Senate. I don't really care enough about local issues to effectively campaign as a Rep, and I like that the Senate is higher prestige.

"I don't care about you" - Senator Ferguson97

[GeneralMacArthur]

Who would anyone want to be a Representative?  Senators have more power and influence.  They are up for re-election only once every six years.  And they tend to last longer.