Governor John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.)
Few politicians are as impressive as Hickenlooper. Even if he has had his ups and downs as governor of Colorado, he was still in the final three candidates for Hillary Clinton’s vice president. Hickenlooper is extremely open and transparent (especially when it comes to his successes and failures) and brings the small businessman’s perspective to the Democratic Party.
Senator Lamar Alexander (R.-Tenn.)
Many political types remember him for two failed presidential candidacies, but also for his trademark red and black flannel shirts and the exclamation point that was part of his campaign slogan (Lamar!). However, ever since he was elected to the Senate in 2002, Alexander proved how committed he was to making actual policy, and how capable he was off fighting the ideologues in his own party. Alexander was also incredibly outspoken in favor of the GOP having a replacement plan, before proceeding with the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
Senator Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.)
Coons wasn’t really supposed to be in the Senate. He ran in 2010 as some kind of sacrificial lamb against the well-known Republican Rep. Michael N. Castle. However, Castle lost the GOP to Christine “I am not a witch” O’Donnell, and all of a sudden, Coons was a member of the Senate. But ever since, he has proved to be no fluke. He has emerged as a very considerate senator, as he is governed more by his beliefs than the power of party and partisanship.
Republican Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
Kinzinger, like many other fellows House Republicans, was elected for the first time in the national wave year of 2010. He has proven that he’s the best in the group. Kinzinger managed to beat longtime Republican Rep. Don Manzullo in a redistricting-forced race back in 2012, and only two years later, defeated an ideological challenge that was funded by Club for Growth.
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