With Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels scheduled to give the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday, he'll join a long list of other politicians who have given responses to presidents' addresses during the past 46 years. Below are those governors, members, and others who gave the official responses to State of the Union addresses, based on information from the House of Representatives' Office of the Clerk:
Lyndon Johnson
1966
Sen. Everett Dirksen, R-Ill., and Rep. Gerald Ford, R-Mich.
This was the first organized televised State of the Union response.
1967
Dirksen and Ford
1968
- Rep. William Steiger, R-Wis.
- Sen. Thomas Kuchel, R-Calif.
- Rep. Ford
- Sen. Charles Percy, R-Ill.
- Rep. Richard Poff, R-Va.
- Rep. George Bush, R-Texas
- Rep. Robert Mathias, R-Calif.
- Sen. Howard Baker, R-Tenn.
- Sen. Hugh Scott, R-Pa.
- Sen. John Tower, R-Texas
- Rep. Charlotte Reid, R-Ill.
- Sen. Peter Dominick, R-Colo.
- Rep. Albert Quie, R-Minn.
- Rep. Melvin Laird, R-Wis.
- Sen. Robert P. Griffin, R-Mich.
- Sen. George Murphy, R-Calif.
1969
No response to President Johnson’s speech, which was delivered six days before President Nixon's inauguration.
Richard Nixon
1970
- Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis.
- Rep. Donald Fraser, D-Minn.
- Senator Mike Mansfield, D-Mont.
- Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson, D-Wash.
- Sen. Edmund Muskie, D-Maine
- Rep. Patsy Mink, D-Hawaii
- Rep. John McCormack, D-Mass.
1971
Sen. Mansfield
1972
- Sen. Proxmire
- Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho
- Sen. Thomas Eagleton, D-Mo.
- Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas
- Rep. Leonor Sullivan, D-Mo.
- Rep. John Melcher, D-Mont.
- Rep. John Brademas, D-Ind.
- Rep. Martha Griffiths, D-Mich.
- Rep. Ralph Metcalfe, D-Ill.
- Rep. Carl Albert, D-Okla.
- Rep. Hale Boggs, D-La.
1973
No response. Inauguration of President Nixon.
1974
Sen. Mansfield
Gerald Ford
1975
Sen. Hubert Humphrey, D-Minn., and Rep. Carl Albert, D-Okla.
1976
Sen. Muskie
1977
No response to President Ford’s final annual message.
Jimmy Carter
1978
Sen. Baker and Rep. John Rhodes, R-Ariz.
1979
Sen. Baker and Rep. Rhodes
1980
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Rep. Rhodes
Ronald Reagan
1981
No response. Inauguration of President Reagan on Jan. 20.
1982
- Sen. Donald Riegle, D-Mich.
- Sen. James Sasser, D-Tenn.
- Rep. Al Gore, D-Tenn.
- Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.
- Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
- House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill, D-Mass.
- Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo.
- Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md.
- Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, D-La.
- Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif.
1983
In a prerecorded televised program:
- Sen. Byrd
- Sen. Paul Tsongas, D-Mass.
- Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J.
- Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.
- Rep. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
- Rep. Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn.
- House Speaker O’Neill
- Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.
- Rep. Les AuCoin, D-Ore.
- Rep. Paul Simon, D-Ill.
- Rep. Timothy Wirth, D-Colo.
- Rep. W.G. “Bill” Hefner, D-N.C.
1984
- Sen. Biden
- Sen. David Boren, D-Okla.
- Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.
- Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
- Sen. Byrd
- Sen. Clairborne Pell, D-R.I.
- Sen. Walter Huddleston, D-Ky.
- Rep. Dante B. Fascell, D-Fla.
- Rep. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa
- Rep. William Gray, D-Pa.
- House Speaker O’Neill
- Rep. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
1985
In a televised discussion among randomly selected Democratic voters:
- Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton
- Florida Gov. Bob Graham
- House Speaker O'Neill
This was the first response since 1966 which featured responders who were not members of Congress.
1986
- Sen. George Mitchell, D-Maine
- Missouri Lt. Gov. Harriett Woods
- Virginia Gov. Charles Robb
- Rep. Daschle
- Rep. Gray
1987
Sen. Byrd and House Speaker Jim Wright, D-Texas
1988
Sen. Byrd and House Speaker Wright
George H.W. Bush
1989
House Speaker Wright and Sen. Bentsen
1990
House Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash.
1991
Sen. Mitchell
1992
House Speaker Foley
Bill Clinton
1993
No response. Inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
1994
Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.
1995
New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman
1996
Sen. Dole
1997
Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla.
1998
Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.
1999
Reps. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash., and Steve Largent, R-Okla.
2000
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bill Frist, R-Tenn.
George W. Bush
2001
No response. Inauguration of President George W. Bush.
2002
Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo.
2003
Washington Gov. Gary Locke
2004
Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
2005
Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
2006
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine
2007
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.
2008
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
Barack Obama
2009
No response. Inauguration of President Barack Obama.
2010
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell
2011
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
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