Senator Bob Bennett misses many votes to campaign in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — To campaign in Utah for his political life, embattled Sen. Bob Bennett missed more roll call votes this year than all but two other senators — and they endured long hospital stays.

Bennett missed 36 of the 131 Senate roll call votes so far this year as of Wednesday, for a 72 percent voting rate.

Also, 31 of those missed votes have come since the week before the March 23 GOP caucuses that elected state delegates. He has a 62 percent voting rate since then as he campaigned especially hard against the seven Republicans challenging him.

In comparison, 93 senators have voting rates higher than 90 percent — and 52 senators had either perfect voting records or missed just one vote this year.

The only senators with voting rates lower than Bennett are 90-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., at 50 percent for the year, and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., at 57 percent. Both were hospitalized for weeks for serious infections.

Bennett said missing the votes did not hurt his party. "Most of the (missed) votes are either routine or where my presence would not change the outcome," he told the Deseret News.

He said he told Republican leaders, "If there is any close vote or important vote where I am needed, I am only an airplane ride away and will be back whenever you call."

He added that many of the missed votes were on Democratic moves to stop a Republican filibuster of a financial industry overhaul bill. "Not being there is the same as voting no," he said, because Democrats need to achieve 60 votes to cut off such GOP filibusters.

Bennett was not in Washington on Wednesday and missed four roll call votes — two on noncontroversial confirmation of judges, and two on amendments to the financial industry overhaul bill. Bennett said he explained his stand on that bill to leaders, and told them he would fly in if his vote would make any difference on the amendments.

Instead of voting in Washington on Wednesday, Bennett participated in two debates in Utah and had interviews with CNN and Fox News as his race and vulnerability have gained national attention. "CNN and Fox think the action is here, and not in Washington, and so do I," Bennett said.

Bennett during the campaign has sometimes taken extraordinary measures to campaign and be in Washington.