Mitch Perry
It’s a story that’s been mentioned throughout the year, and now USA Today is weighing in on this reality on its front page today.
No other U.S. Senator running for president this year has missed as many votes than Marco Rubio.
The junior senator from Florida has missed 77 out of 263 roll call votes this year through Wednesday, an absentee rate of 29.3 percent. And since June 1, Rubio has been absent for 60 percent of his votes. The paper notes that he’s missed votes on amendments to a massive education bill, changes to defense policy legislation and a short-term extension of the Federal Highway Trust Fund.
Next on the list for missing in action in the Senate is South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham. He’s missed 62 votes this year (24 percent), followed by Texas Republican Ted Cruz, who has missed 59 votes (22 percent).
Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, running in the Democratic race, has missed just nine votes (3 percent), and Rand Paul of Kentucky has missed just three votes (1 percent).
Rubio spokesman Alex Conant tells USA Today that running for president is a time-consuming job, and that he’s returned to Washington for important votes. Yesterday Rubio canceled a fundraiser in Minneapolis to return to Washington to vote on the Iranian nuclear deal.
And though his 30 percent absentee rate this year is the worst among the members of the Senate running for president in 2015, it pales in comparison to John Kerry in 2003, who missed 62 percent of his votes. Barack Obama missed 38 percent of votes in 2007, and Hillary Clinton missed 23 percent that same year when they both were gunning for the Democratic nomination for president.
