Democratic Leaders Voting Early
Top Congressional Democrats have been taking advantage of early voting opportunities in their respective states, with three of the four top House and Senate leaders opting to cast their ballots early.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) voted on Oct. 22 at a local precinct near is home in Searchlight, Nev., while Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is voting this week in her state by absentee ballot. Similarly, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D.) sent in his absentee ballot last week from his home in Springfield, Ill.
Of the top four Congressional Democrats, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), whose district isnt far from Capitol Hill, is the only leader who plans to cast his vote in person on Tuesday.
Perhaps influencing their voting decisions, Reid, Pelosi and Hoyer are planning to welcome in the Nov. 4 results at a major Democratic Party event in Washington, D.C.
On the other side of the aisle, the majority of the Republican leaders are planning to vote on Election Day in their respective districts. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R) and House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R) will vote at home, in West Chester, Ohio, and Springfield, Mo., respectively.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is facing a tough challenge from Democrat Bruce Lunsford this year, also will vote at home in Louisville.
Breaking the GOP leadership trend this year, however, is Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.) who is voting early in his state. Kyl has spent recent weeks barnstorming many of the battleground states on behalf of his home-state colleague and GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.
Early voting has become a growing trend across the nation this cycle, with many states expecting record turnout in the much-anticipated presidential contest between McCain and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
