How many siblings in Congress? This and more

by Mark Silva

Quick: Were more members of Congress born in Cleveland or in Baltimore (A)?

How many were born in Chicago? (B)

How many brothers and sisters are serving in Congress together? (C)

How many senators are the children of senators? (D)

Which state delivered the highest percentage vote for President Bush in 2000? (E)

Which delivered the lowest percentage for Bush in 2000? (F)

This and more is packed between the covers of the American Almanac of Politics, which has released it 2008 edition.

The people at National Journal Group who publish this Bible of the political world, with portraits of every congressional district and state and people who represent them, their history and their political proclivities in presidential and other elections are celebrating the release with a little trivia. See the answers to the above questions below.

And read on, here in the Swamp, for more fun facts, courtesy of the Journal:

A: Cleveland 8, Baltimore 7

B: 10

C: 4 pairs of siblings from Florida, Michigan, California and Colorado, read on

D: 5

E: Wyoming

F: Rhode Island

Trivia from the 2008 Almanac of American Politics:

Members of Congress by place of birth:

New York: 32
Los Angeles: 10
Chicago: 10
Detroit: 8
Cleveland:8
Baltimore: 7
Washington, DC: 6
New Orleans: 5
Philadelphia: 5

Born in Chicago (10):
Melissa Bean
Judy Biggert
Hillary Clinton
Rahm Emanuel
Luis Gutierrez
Daniel Lipinski
Jim McDermott
Jan Schakowsky
Jim Sensenbrenner
Tim Walberg

Number of U.S. Presidents Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., has served under since being sworn in to Congress in Dec. 1955: 10

The senator who worked for Jerry Springer’s 1982 gubernatorial campaign:

Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

Number of sets of siblings currently serving in Congress: 4

Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida; Carl and Sander Levin of Michigan; Linda and Loretta Sanchez of California; John and Ken Salazar of Colorado

Number of senators who are children of senators: 5

Evan Bayh, Robert Bennett, Christopher Dodd, Lisa Murkowski, Mark Pryor

Number of states with all Democratic congressional delegations: 4

Hawaii; Massachusetts; North Dakota; Rhode Island

Number of governors who served in Congress: 10 of 50

Number of senators who served in the House: 49 of 100

Senators who serve with colleagues who defeated them in previous Senate elections:

SENATOR WINNER ELECTION
Gordon Smith (OR) Ron Wyden 1996 special
Ben Nelson (NE) Chuck Hagel 1996 general
John Ensign (NV) Harry Reid 1998 general
John Thune (SD) Tim Johnson 2002 general
John Barrasso (WY) Michael Enzi 1996 primary

Slowest growing congressional district between 2000-2005: Ohio 11th (-9.1%)

Fastest-growing congressional district between 2000-2005: Arizona 6th (36.3%)

Which member of Congress ran for their seat in 5 straight elections before finally winning?

Collin Peterson, D-MN 7; he was elected in 1990 after losing in ’82, ’84, ’86 and ’88

Which congressman carried the “nuclear football” for Presidents Carter and Reagan?

John Kline of Minnesota

Which member appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a professional athlete?

Jim Bunning, R-KY (March 1, 1965)

Presidential Roundup

Which state delivered the highest percentage of the vote to George W. Bush in 2000?

Wyoming (69%)

Which state delivered the highest percentage of the vote to George W. Bush in 2004?

Utah (72%)

Which state delivered the lowest percentage of the vote to George W. Bush in 2000?

Rhode Island (32%)

Which state delivered the lowest percentage of the vote to George W. Bush in 2004?

Massachusetts (37%)

Al Gore failed to win 30% of the vote in 4 states in 2000. Name them.

Alaska (28), Idaho (28), Utah (26), Wyoming (28)

Three states have more than 30 electoral votes. Name them.

California, New York, Texas

Three states switched their presidential vote from 2000 to 2004. Name them.

Iowa; New Hampshire; New Mexico

Top congressional district for George W. Bush in 2004:

Texas 11th (Rep. Mike Conaway) 78.4%

Worst congressional district for George W. Bush in 2004:

New York 15th (Rep. Charles Rangel) 9.3%

How many currently Democratic-held districts voted for George W. Bush in 2004?

62

How many currently GOP-held districts voted for John Kerry in 2004?

8

Number of counties won by George W. Bush in 2004:

2,530

Number of counties won by John Kerry in 2004:

583

Number of Congressional districts carried by George W. Bush in 2004:

255

Number of Congressional districts carried by John Kerry in 2004:

180

Number of Congressional districts carried by Bush in 2000 and Kerry in 2004:

2

Number of Congressional districts carried by Gore in 2000 and Bush in 2004:

17