The Senate's GOP Young Guns
It's clearly good news for the GOP that they can claim 13 of the 16 incoming Senate freshmen as their own. But another piece of good news for the GOP's long-term Senate prospects is the relative youth (by senatorial standards) of these freshmen. Seven were born in the 1950s and five were born in the 1960s, each of whom could have quite a few terms in the Senate ahead of them. (The exception is 67-year-old Dan Coats (R-Ind.)).
By contrast, two of the three Democratic freshmen (Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Joe Manchin of West Virginia) are already in their 60s and will be in the upper half age-wise of the Senate. (Delaware's Chris Coons (D) is a relatively youthful 47.)
Of course, any of these incoming senators could easily run for another couple terms. Still, the relative youth of the incoming freshman class of GOPers is something of a safety cushion for the party's chances to hold the Senate 20 years down the line.
Get the next Senate ranked by age after the jump.
2.) Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii, 9/1924)
3.) Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii, 9/1924)
4.) Richard Lugar (R-Ind., 4/1932)
5.) Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif., 6/1933)
6.) Charles Grassley (R-Iowa, 9/1933)
7.) Orrin Hatch (R-Utah, 3/1934)
8.) Richard Shelby (R-Ala., 5/1934)
9.) Carl Levin (D-Mich., 6/1934)
10.) James Inhofe (R-Okla., 11/1934)
11.) Herbert Kohl (D-Wis., 2/1935)
12.) Pat Roberts (R-Kan., 4/1936)
13.) Barbara Mikulski (D-Md., 7/1936)
14.) John McCain (R-Ariz., 8/1936)
15.) John "Jay" Rockefeller (D-W.Va., 6/1937)
16.) Thad Cochran (R-Miss., 12/1937)
17.) Tom Harkin (D-Iowa, 11/1939)
18.) Harry Reid (D-Nev., 12/1939)
19.) Patrick Leahy (D-Vt., 3/1940)
20.) Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn., 7/1940)
21.) Barbara Boxer (D-Calif., 11/1940)
22.) Ben Nelson (D-Neb., 5/1941)
23.) Bernie Sanders (I-Vt., 9/1941)
24.) Max Baucus (D-Mont., 12/1941)
25.) Mitch McConnell (R-Ky., 2/1942)
26.) Joseph Lieberman (D-Ct., 2/1942)
27.) Jon Kyl (R-Ariz., 4/1942)
28.) Bill Nelson (D-Fla., 9/1942)
29.) Jim Risch (R-Idaho, 5/1943)
30.) Dan Coats (R-Ind., 5/1943)
31.) Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas, 7/1943)
32.) Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M., 10/1943)
33.) Ben Cardin (D-Md., 10/1943)
34.) Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga., 11/1943)
35.) John Kerry (D-Mass., 12/1943)
36.) Mike Enzi (R-Wyo., 2/1944)
37.) Richard Durbin (D-Ill., 11/1944)
38.) Johnny Isakson (R-Ga., 12/1944)
39.) Jim Webb (D-Va., 2/1946)
40.) Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct., 2/1946)
41.) Jeff Sessions (R-Ala., 12/1946)
42.) Tim Johnson (D-S.D., 12/1946)
43.) Thomas Carper (D-Del., 1/1947)
44.) Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H., 1/1947)
45.) Olympia Snowe (R-Maine, 2/1947)
46.) Joe Manchin (D-W.Va., 8/1947)
47.) Kent Conrad (D-N.D., 3/1948)
48.) Tom Coburn (R-Okla., 3/1948)
49.) Tom Udall (D-N.M., 5/1948)
50.) Ron Wyden (D-Ore., 5/1949)
51.) Jack Reed (R-R.I., 11/1949)
52.) Roy Blunt (R-Mo., 1/1950)
53.) Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich., 4/1950)
54.) Mike Johanns (R-Neb., 6/1950)
55.) Mark Udall (D-Colo., 7/1950)
56.) Patty Murray (D-WA, 10/1950)
57.) Charles Schumer (D-N.Y., 11/1950)
58.) John Boozman (R-Ark., 12/1950)
59.) Michael Crapo (R-Idaho, 5/1951)
60.) Al Franken (D-Minn., 5/1951)
61.) Roger Wicker (R-Miss., 7/1951)
62.) Jim DeMint (R-S.C., 9/1951)
63.) John Cornyn (R-Texas, 2/1952)
64.) John Barrasso (R-Wyo., 7/1952)
65.) Bob Corker (R-Tenn., 8/1952)
66.) Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio, 11/1952)
67.) Susan Collins (R-Maine, 12/1952)
68.) Kay Hagan (D-N.C., 5/1953)
69.) Claire McCaskill (D-Mo., 7/1953)
70.) Robert Menendez (D-N.J., 1/1954)
71.) Jerry Moran (R-Kan., 5/1954)
72.) Mark Warner (D-Va., 12/1954)
73.) Ron Johnson (R-Wis., 4/1955)
74.) Lindsey Graham (R-S.C., 7/1955)
75.) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I., 10/1955)
76.) Mary Landrieu (D-La., 11/1955)
77.) Richard Burr (R-N.C., 11/1955)
78.) Rob Portman (R-Ohio, 12/1955)
79.) Jon Tester (D-Mont., 8/1956)
80.) Jeff Merkley (D-Ore., 10/1956)
81.) John Hoeven (R-N.D., 3/1957)
82.) Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska, 5/1957)*
83.) John Ensign (R-Nev., 3/1958)
84.) Maria Cantwell (D-Wash., 10/1958)
85.) Scott Brown (R-Mass., 9/1959)
86.) Mark Kirk (R-Ill., 9/1959)
87.) Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa., 4/1960)
88.) Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn., 5/1960)
89.) John Thune (R-S.D., 1/1961)
90.) David Vitter (R-La., 5/1961)
91.) Pat Toomey (R-Pa., 11/1961)
92.) Mark Begich (D-Alaska, 3/1962)
93.) Rand Paul (R-Ky., 1/1963)
94.) Mark Pryor (D-Ark., 1/1963)
95.) Chris Coons (D-Del., 9/1963)
96.) Michael Bennet (D-Colo., 11/1964)
97.) Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y., 12/1966)
98.) Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H., 6/1968)
99.) Marco Rubio (R-Fla., 5/1971)
100.) Mike Lee (R-Utah, 6/1971)
*Assuming Murkowski's write-in campaign is ultimately successful in Alaska.
Leave A Comment