The Rittenhouse Review

A Philadelphia Journal of Politics, Finance, Ethics, and Culture


Tuesday, May 04, 2004  

THE MOST ADMIRED DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
The Polls are Closed and the Results are In

The virtual voting booth for the weekly Rittenhouse has closed and the results are in.

Rittenhouse readers, asked to choose the “most admired” Democratic senator, and offered nine choices (plus a fallback, “other”), chose Sen. Russ Feingold (Wisc.) by the narrowest of margins: One vote. (Katherine Harris, please call your office, Miss Harris.)

1. Sen. Russ Feingold (Wisc.), 90 votes, or 23.5%
2. Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.), 89 votes, 23.2%
3. Sen. Ted Kennedy (Mass.), 84 votes, 21.9%
4. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), 33 votes, 8.6%
5. Other, 24 votes, 6.3%
6. (tie) Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (Iowa), each 17 votes, 4.4%
8. Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.), 16 votes, 4.2%
9. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), 8 votes, 2.1%
10. Sen. Tom Daschle (S.D.), 5 votes, 1.3%

I had a tough time deciding. The option of voting for “other” provided a place where I might vote for my first choice, the ghost of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.

Instead, I voted for Sen. Feingold, putting me in good company with my readers.

Readers who cast votes for “other” and who sent me e-mail mentioning their intention, encompassed a wide range of lawmakers, including Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.), Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.), Sen. Richard Durbin (Ill.), Sen. Bob Graham (Fla.), Sen. James Jeffords (Vt.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), and Sen. John Rockefeller (W.Va.).

A new poll will be posted tomorrow morning.

The Rittenhouse Review | Copyright 2002-2006 | PERMALINK |

CONTACT
BIO & STUFF
PUBLICATION NOTES
LINKS