Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, cast her 8,000th consecutive vote on Thursday — a streak that has spanned almost a quarter of a century, Roll Call is reporting.
She reached the 8,000 mark when she voted to confirm Elizabeth Prelogar as Solicitor General.
“When I go talk to school children, and I’ve visited more than 200 schools in Maine, I always tell them about my voting streak,” said Collins, who has served in the Senate since 1997.
“I say, ‘That’s like going from kindergarten through your senior year of high school and never missing a day of school.’ And the kids, they inevitably go ‘wow,’ and the teachers, they always approvingly nod.”
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had cast 8,927 consecutive votes before he was forced to self-quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 last year, Roll Call pointed out.
The longest streak ever is held by the late Wisconsin Democrat William Proxmire who cast a vote 10,252 consecutive times in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., celebrated Collins’ milestone vote by tossing confetti, The Hill noted.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said: “I join in extending a warm congratulations to Sen. Collins on this terrific achievement and thank her for many years of public service to her state and country.”
And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., noted: “Anybody who knows Sen. Collins knows this moment is not really about a round number. It’s about the approach which the number happens to reflect. Our colleague is diligent, she’s devoted, her level of preparation is unparalleled, she holds herself to the highest standards and she delivers. It’s in her blood.”
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