As Congress heads into its August recess, the half a dozen senators running for president will get some valued time on the campaign trail. With so many senators running, the presidential race should be a hot subject of discussion in Senate cafeterias and offices. Not so, say Senate insiders.
Few senators want to risk upsetting their colleagues by endorsing one candidate over another. While a few have taken a leap—mostly home-state colleagues such as Chuck Schumer endorsing Hillary Rodham Clinton and Pat Roberts endorsing Sam Brownback—the presidential race is largely going ignored day to day.
“It’s the great unspoken subject,” says one Democratic Senate chief of staff. “We all need this person for a vote on that issue and that person for a vote on this issue. It’s bipartisan.”
This piece originally appeared in the August 2007 edition of the magazine.
Speak No Evil in the Senate Cafeteria
As Congress heads into its August recess, the half a dozen senators running for president will get some valued time on the campaign trail. With so many senators running, the presidential race should be a hot subject of discussion in Senate cafeterias and offices. Not so, say Senate insiders.
Few senators want to risk upsetting their colleagues by endorsing one candidate over another. While a few have taken a leap—mostly home-state colleagues such as Chuck Schumer endorsing Hillary Rodham Clinton and Pat Roberts endorsing Sam Brownback—the presidential race is largely going ignored day to day.
“It’s the great unspoken subject,” says one Democratic Senate chief of staff. “We all need this person for a vote on that issue and that person for a vote on this issue. It’s bipartisan.”
This piece originally appeared in the August 2007 edition of the magazine.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall
Meet the NIH Detectives Cracking Medicine’s Toughest Cases
5 of DC’s Most Interesting Ideas for Revitalizing Chinatown
A “Corpse Flower” Is Currently in Bloom at the Botanic Garden
How Emma’s Torch Is Changing the Lives of Its Refugee Workers
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries