Rubio tops list of absentee lawmakers

If there were a perfect attendance award for Congress, Sen. Susan Collins would get it. Since taking office in 1997, the Maine Republican hasn’t missed a vote in 5,788 opportunities.

But some of her colleagues have missed quite a few over the years.


Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) have been absent from the most votes in their respective chambers, according to a new analysis by Vocativ in partnership with GovTrack.us.

Of 1,198 total votes, Rubio has missed 99, or 8.3 percent, since taking office in January 2011.

“He is one of the only senators with young children who has not moved his family to D.C., and tries to spend as much time in Florida with them as possible,” Rubio spokesman Alex Conant told POLITICO. “In addition to his parental responsibilities, in recent years he’s also had to return to Florida and miss votes due to his mother’s health and civic responsibilities like jury duty.”

On Rubio’s voting record over the last few years, Conant said there will be no doubt where the Florida senator stands as he travels around the country talking to potential voters for a possible presidential run.

“Senator Rubio has not made a final decision about 2016, but he’s seriously considering running for president and taking the necessary steps to prepare a competitive campaign,” he said.

Conyers, who is currently the longest-serving member in either chamber, has missed 16.3 percent of 27,195 votes since January 1965.

Republicans make up nine of the 10 spots on Vocativ’s Senate list, with Hawaii Democrat Brian Schatz missing the third-most votes after his appointment to the seat following the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye in December 2012. He was subsequently reelected last November.

Other names on top 10 list include Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), David Vitter (R-La.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).

On the flip side, Democrats have been missing from more votes than Republicans in the House. Alaska Rep. Don Young has missed the most votes among Republicans, absent from 14.8 percent of approximately 25,000 votes. Washington state Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler missed many votes as well during a difficult pregnancy in 2013.

Others on the House list: Richard Nolan (D-Minn.), Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who missed three months on maternity leave, Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rubén Hinojosa (D-Texas).