By Jackie Kucinich
Roll Call Staff
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (above) has taken to praising Sen. Rand Paul’s brand of conservatism in public speeches.
After years of strained cordiality in the Kentucky Senate delegation, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) has forged an unlikely but good rapport with Sen. Rand Paul (R).
At the time that Sen. Jim Bunning (R) retired, he and McConnell hardly spoke, and it looked like Paul might fare no better. The blistering Republican primary for Senate last year saw Paul topple Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, whom McConnell feverishly worked to elect.
But so far, the bitterness of that contest seems not to have spread to Washington, D.C. Continue reading ‘McConnell’s Bond With Paul Untested’
By Jackie Kucinich
Roll Call Staff
With the budget, trade and jobs high on Congress’ priority list this year, freshman Sen. Rob Portman’s return to Washington appears almost too well-timed.
The Ohio Republican’s credentials are particularly unusual, and a rundown of the top issues in the House and Senate reads like a list of the problems Portman has spent his career tackling.
As both the former head of the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. trade representative in the Bush administration, Portman frequently worked as a liaison between the legislative and executive branches.
Those who have worked with Portman — whether it was during his tenure in the House or in the administration — expect he will reprise that role in some way in the Senate. Continue reading ‘Portman’s Bio Makes for a Unique Player’