PORTLAND, Maine — Sen. Susan Collins has gone to great lengths to preserve her unbroken voting streak in Washington.
On one occasion, it meant deplaning from a commercial flight to race back to Capitol Hill. Another time, she twisted her ankle as she ran down marble hallways to the Senate floor with moments to spare. She even scheduled her upcoming wedding for the August recess, just to be safe.
The Maine Republican has never missed a vote since taking office in January 1997 — a record that evokes comparisons to baseball great Cal Ripken. This week, she expects to make her 5,000th consecutive vote.
She says her voting record resonates with Mainers. “It demonstrates to my constituents my unwavering commitment to my job,” she said.
Among sitting senators, only Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa has a longer voting streak, having cast 6,444 consecutive votes dating back to 1993.
Impressive as their records are, Grassley and Collins pale in comparison with the Senate’s record holder, Wisconsin Democrat William Proxmire, who had 10,252 consecutive votes from April 20, 1966, to Oct. 18, 1988.
