“She did a lot better than I did,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) who was swept away by President Donald Trump in 2016. “I was one of many. I enjoyed the experience. I dropped out early, so it’s different, but she raised a lot of money, had a lot of loyal supporters and it stings, but I think her stock has gone up not down.”
“I think she’ll be a more viable senator and my advice to her is just jump in with both feet,” Graham said.
Other colleagues offered a reminder that the Senate is not necessarily the worst back-up plan for failed presidential candidates — particularly for a policy wonk like Warren.
“They are welcomed back with open arms, and I think as exhilarating and consuming as a campaign can be, you’re not getting done anything in the public policy realm,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii.). “So whether it’s Amy or Kamala or Cory or Elizabeth coming back and digging back into the work is therapeutic for them.”
The Senate has not, historically, been an effective perch to run for president. Only three presidents — Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy and Warren G. Harding — went straight from the Senate to the White House.
But that hasn’t stopped a litany of senators from trying, and Warren will have plenty of people to commiserate with in the Capitol, including fellow 2020 Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
In addition to Graham, GOP Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) all fell short in 2016.
Other senators who can share tips for how to move on are Mitt Romney (R-Utah) who lost presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012 and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) who was defeated in 1996 and 2000.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) argued the Senate is still a decent launching pad, considering that the final two viable candidates are Bernie Sanders, a current senator, and former Vice President Joe Biden, an ex-senator.
“Both of the major candidates right now are present senators or former senators,” Blumenthal said. “For a while it was only governors succeeding. I wouldn’t count out the two Democrats.”
And the Senate does provide a national platform for presidential hopefuls, particularly in the age of social media.
Sanders first gained fame after an eight-and-a-half hour filibuster ripping a bipartisan tax deal; Cruz’s tactics to shut down the government and Paul’s civil-libertarian pushes helped both lawmakers win national prominence — and the Senate floor was their stage to achieve it.
Gillibrand didn’t make it nearly as far as Warren. But she said she is looking forward to working on another 2020 goal for Democrats: taking control of the Senate.
“Let me first say I’m very proud of the race that Elizabeth ran. She did a great job, she really spoke for a lot of Americans, she organized a very strong grassroots campaign — so I’m very proud of her, and I’m proud of all my colleagues,” Gillibrand said.
“I’ve already texted her that I have a cold beer waiting for her and I’m very excited to see her when she gets back,” she added.
Some of the 2020 Democrats have even sought advice from their Republican colleagues who ran for president.
Rubio chatted on Thursday with Klobuchar, who returned to the Senate after ending her campaign earlier in the week. His advice? Put your head down and get to work.
“I think I came back that Thursday right after my race ended on a Tuesday. And I just went right back to work, and in a way, it was good to be back and working on the issues and getting restarted,” Rubio said. “That would be my advice — just get back and get re-engaged. There’s a lot going on.”
Cruz, who fought to the bitter end against Trump in 2016, also provided Warren with some suggestions, of a sort, about how to transition back to her normal life.
“I’m sure she will take some time with family to decompress and unplug and put your phone down and disconnect from email,” Cruz said of Warren. “And then I think everyone expects her to endorse Bernie. But who knows? She could surprise us and endorse the president!”
Source: politico.com
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