Politics
GOP Freshmen Making an Early Mark in the Senate
Campaign photo— Sept. 29, 2014 Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Sean Sullivan, THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON (The Washington Post)—Capitol Hill adage: Freshman senators should be seen and not heard. That idea has been in decline for a while, and it was definitely not part of the orientation packet for the big GOP class of 2015.
Less than six weeks into their new terms, the dozen newest Republican senators have quickly made a mark on Capitol Hill, both in front of the cameras and behind closed doors. Republican leaders have enlisted them to rebut President Obama and to try to break a logjam with the House GOP. One flashed his comedy chops at a swanky dinner. Another attracted national attention with unusually sharp language at a committee hearing.
Perhaps most notably, they have become reliable allies for GOP leaders. None are showing signs they want to be the prickly, renegade types so much in evidence in the last two classes: There appear to be no Ted Cruzes or any Mike Lees.
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