HRC and Senate votes

2007: OBAMA HAD MISSED THE MOST SENATE VOTES OUT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES CNN: “Sen. Barack Obama Has Missed The Most Votes Of Any Democratic Presidential Hopeful In The Senate Over The Last Two Months, Including A Vote On An Iran Resolution He Has Blasted Sen. Hillary Clinton For Supporting.” [CNN, 11/2/07] CNN: In September And October 2007, Then-Senator Obama “Missed Nearly 80% Of All Votes.” [CNN, 11/2/07] In September And October 2007, Then-Senator Joe Biden Missed 68 Percent Of Votes. “The Illinois Democrat has missed nearly 80 percent of all votes since September. The other Democrats in the Senate running for president have missed a high percentage of votes as well. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware has missed 68 percent of the votes during the same period, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut 65 percent and Clinton of New York 63 percent.” [CNN, 11/2/07] In September And October 2007, Then-Senator Hillary Clinton Missed 63 Percent Of Votes. “The Illinois Democrat has missed nearly 80 percent of all votes since September. The other Democrats in the Senate running for president have missed a high percentage of votes as well. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware has missed 68 percent of the votes during the same period, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut 65 percent and Clinton of New York 63 percent.” [CNN, 11/2/07] 2007: CLINTON MISSED FEWER VOTES THAN BIDEN, DODD, OR OBAMA CNN: “Obama's Campaign Points Out That Biden Missed The Most Votes [In 2007] If The Whole Year Is Considered, Followed By Dodd, Then Obama.” [CNN, 11/2/07] 2007-2008: CLINTON MISSED 31.65% OF ALL SENATE VOTES GovTrack: Then-Senator Clinton Missed 208 Of 657, Or 31.65% Of Votes From January 2007- December 2008. [GovTrack, accessed 2/12/15] With information from GovTrack: Time Period Eligible Votes Missed Votes Percent Missed Notes 2007 Jan-Mar 126 3 2.38% Clinton entered race 1/20/07 2007 Apr-Jun 112 3 2.68% 2007 Jul-Sep 119 26 21.85% 2007 Oct-Dec 85 71 83.53% 2008 Jan-Mar 85 38 44.71% 2008 Apr-Jun 77 60 77.92% Clinton concedes nomination 6/7/08 2008 Jul-Sep 47 7 14.89% 2008 Oct-Dec 6 0 0.00% TOTAL 657 208 31.65% 2007: COMMENTATOR STU ROTHENBERG SAID THAT MOST AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD THAT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WERE LIKELY TO MISS VOTES Stu Rothenberg: “I Think Most Americans Understand That If You're Running For President, You're Going To Have To Be In Iowa, New Hampshire, And You're Not Going To Make All The Votes And They Give Candidates Slack.” [CNN, 11/2/07] Commented [SL1]: Can we also add a separate section based on overall votes missed Commented [SL2]: Can you note what dates this actually covers? We should start when she announces, right? It was hard for me to figure it out based on govtrack. I assume you did your own calculation based on the numbers.

CLINTON WAS SEEN AS PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE AT JUGGLING HER OBLIGATIONS AS A CANDIDATE AND SENATOR USA Today: “Among The Six Senators Running For President, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Has Emerged As The Juggler Supreme.” “Among the six senators running for president, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has emerged as the juggler supreme. She's kept up an ambitious travel schedule that often exceeds most of her rivals by relying on a highly organized campaign that orchestrates events designed to maximize her exposure. At the same time, she has remained in the nation's capital for important Senate floor votes and used the Washington media spotlight to criticize the policies of an unpopular Republican president.” [USA Today, 10/4/07] USA Today: Despite An “Ambitious Travel Schedule That Often Exceeds Most Of Her Rivals,” Clinton “Has Remained In The Nation’s Capital For Important Senate Floor Votes.” “[Hillary Clinton has] kept up an ambitious travel schedule that often exceeds most of her rivals by relying on a highly organized campaign that orchestrates events designed to maximize her exposure. At the same time, she has remained in the nation's capital for important Senate floor votes and used the Washington media spotlight to criticize the policies of an unpopular Republican president.” [USA Today, 10/4/07] USA Today: “In The First Nine Months Of” 2007, Clinton “Missed Only 32 Of 357 Votes… Significantly Fewer Missed Votes Than Her Five Colleagues Running For President.” “In fact, in the first nine months of [2007] — dating back to a Jan. 8 resolution honoring the late President Gerald Ford — New York's junior senator missed only 32 of 357 votes, or about 9%, according to Gannett News Service research. That's significantly fewer missed votes than her five colleagues running for president, although among the 100 members she ranked 10th for most absences.” [USA Today, 10/4/07] MARCO RUBIO SAID THAT MISSING SENATE VOTES WAS INEVITABLE FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Marco Rubio: “Unfortunately, One Of The Things That Happens When You Decide To Run For Something Like President Is It Does Force You To Miss Some Time In The U.S. Senate.” “DMR: You missed the recent vote on the Keystone XL pipeline because you were doing some fundraising…Would a presidential bid hurt your U.S. Senate work? RUBIO: That's always a challenge. Obviously, if that vote had been in dispute, if there had been any question about whether we had sufficient votes to pass it, I certainly would have returned and cast that decisive vote. Knowing that we had more than enough support to get it done, unfortunately, one of the things that happens when you decide to run for something like president is it does force you to miss some time in the U.S. Senate...Some of my colleagues that are thinking of running will have to make those choices fairly soon, as well.” [Des Moines Register, 2/12/15]