We've had a handful of good GOP governors that would be hard to distinguish from good centrist Democrats. And one of the first Black Senators on Capitol Hill, Edward Brook, who was a good Republican.
Ed Brooke was the first Black U.S. senator elected by popular vote. His two predecessors, both Reconstruction era, were elected by the Mississippi state legislature when it was still in Republican hands (this was, need I say, back when it really was the party of Lincoln). Once the secessionist white Democrats got their vote back, that was the end of that. The 17th Amendment, providing for direct popular election of U.S. senators, was ratified in 1913.
It's why son G.H.W. Bush left Yale in his freshman year and became the youngest Naval Aviator of the war, to make up for dear old dad.
Interesting! And a reasonable thing to do, unlike what his son did.
I think of him as the last reasonably-decent Republican.
If you don't count our recent Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker.
I don't know that much about him, but I was thinking primarily of national Republicans.
We've had a handful of good GOP governors that would be hard to distinguish from good centrist Democrats. And one of the first Black Senators on Capitol Hill, Edward Brook, who was a good Republican.
Ed Brooke was the first Black U.S. senator elected by popular vote. His two predecessors, both Reconstruction era, were elected by the Mississippi state legislature when it was still in Republican hands (this was, need I say, back when it really was the party of Lincoln). Once the secessionist white Democrats got their vote back, that was the end of that. The 17th Amendment, providing for direct popular election of U.S. senators, was ratified in 1913.
I thought so (first elected by popular vote) but I wasn't sure. Thanks for that!