On To The Senate, With A Detour In The House
A Commentary by Larry J. Sabato
Right now, first-term Rep. Rick Berg (R-ND) looks likely to be elected to the Senate seat left open by the retirement of Kent Conrad (D) in November 2012. The Crystal Ball wondered: How rare is it for someone to get such a fast elevation from the House to the Senate? (We realize some House members will insist it is a demotion.) We've scoured the records and identified nine members of the Senate in this category. Only senators in office sometime in the previous 50 years were included.
- J. William Fulbright (D-AR) elected 1944
- Roman L. Hruska (R-NE) elected 1954
- Quentin Burdick (D-ND) elected 1960
- Peter Dominick (R-CO) elected 1962
- John Glenn Beall (R-MD) elected 1970
- Lowell Weicker (R-CT) elected 1970
- James Abourezk (D-SD) elected 1972
- Rod Grams (R-MN) elected 1994
- Sam Brownback (R-KS) elected 1996
Did we miss any? Email us and we'll give you credit in the next Crystal Ball.
Larry J. Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
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Views expressed in this column are those of the author, not those of Rasmussen Reports.Comments about this content should be directed to the author or syndicate.
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