Almanac Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to last week's quiz:

1. Who represents the wealthiest congressional district?

• (b) Gerry Connolly (D-VA)

2. Who represents the congressional district with the highest percentage of Hispanics?

• (a) Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)

3. Even though he won by six percentage points, this incumbent senator spent the most money in 2008. Name the senator.

• Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

4. How many women in Congress have given birth while in office? (Bonus question! How many can you name? Hint: five current members, three former.)

• Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
• Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
• Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
• Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR)
• former Rep. Susan Molinari (R-NY)
• former Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz (R-UT)
• former Rep. Yvonne Braithwaite Burke (D-CA)

5. Which congressional race was closest percentage-wise?

• (b) Perriello vs. Goode - 727 votes

6. Which three former members of Congress were defeated in their party primaries in 2008?

• David Davis (R-TN)
• Chris Cannon (R-UT)
• Albert Wynn (D-MD)

7. Which U.S. representative is a former governor?

• Mike Castle (R-DE)

8. Which freshman senator became his state's senior senator in 2009 after spending just 16 days as junior senator?

• Mark Udall (D-CO)

9. Who is the youngest senator?

• 42-year-old Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

10. Who is the longest-serving Republican senator?

• 33-year veteran Richard Lugar (R-IN)

11. Who are the two Buddhists in Congress?

• Hank Johnson (GA) and Mazie Hirono (HI).

How Big a Political Junkie are You?

The National Journal's 2010 Almanac of American Politics, is out and full of facts sure to satisfy every political junkie. Here's a quiz to sharpen your political acumen. Answers next week.

1. Who represents the wealthiest congressional district? (a) Steve Israel of New York. (b) Gerry Connolly of Virginia. (c) Anna G. Eshoo of California
2. Who represents the congressional district with the highest percentage of Hispanics? (a) Silvestre Reyes of Texas. (b) Ruben Hinojosa of Texas. (c) Lucille Roybal-Allard of California.
3. Even though he won by six percentage points, this incumbent senator spent the most money in 2008. Name the senator.
4. How many women in Congress have given birth while in office? (Bonus question! How many can you name? Hint: five current members, three former.)
5. Which congressional race was closest percentage-wise? (a) Fleming vs. Carmouche, Louisiana. (b) Perriello vs. Goode, Virginia. (c) McClintock vs. Brown, California.
6. Which three former members of Congress were defeated in their party primaries in 2008?
7. Which U.S. representative is a former governor?
8. Which freshman senator became his state's senior senator in 2009 after spending just 16 days as junior senator?
9. Who is the youngest senator?
10. Who is the longest-serving Republican senator?
11. Who are the two Buddhists in Congress?

Quick Presidential Quiz Answers

So how'd you do? Here are the answers.

1) Who was the first President to be photographed?

• John Adams
  

2) Who didn't learn to read until he was 17?

• Andrew Johnson
  

3) Who built a swimming pool and a movie theater in the White House?

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  

4) Who was ambidextrous?

• James Garfield
  

5) Who was president for only 32 days?

• William Henry Harrison
  

6) Who ordered the White House's first bathtub?

• Franklin Pierce
  

7) Who had the White House's first telephone?

• Rutherford B. Hayes
  

8) Who held his wedding in the White House?

• Grover Cleveland
  

9) Who let his horse graze on the White House lawn?

• Zachary Taylor
  

10) Who gave his pet mockingbird free rein of the indoor air space?

• Thomas Jefferson
  

Quick Presidential Quiz

This was sent along by a friend. It's a basic quiz. I expect no missed answers. Answers next week. Let's see those answers in the comments, people.

1. Who was the first President to be photographed?
2. Who didn't learn to read until he was 17?
3. Who built a swimming pool and a movie theater in the White House?
4. Who was ambidextrous?
5. Who was president for only 32 days?
6. Who ordered the White House's first bathtub?
7. Who had the White House's first telephone?
8. Who held his wedding in the White House?
9. Who let his horse graze on the White House lawn?
10. Who gave his pet mockingbird free rein of the indoor air space?

Answers to the second quiz

Here are the answers to the second quiz, which appeared last Sunday.

1. Which member appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a professional athlete?
• Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) in the March 1, 1965 issue. (He was a professional baseball player.)
  
2. How many current governors served in Congress?
• 10 of 50 (Bob Riley - Alabama, Butch Otter - Idaho, Rod Blagojevich - Illinois, Ernie Fletcher - Kentucky, John Baldacci - Maine, Jim Gibbons - Nevada, Jon Corzine - New Jersey, Bill Richardson - New Mexico, Ted Strickland - Ohio, Mark Sanford, South Carolina)
  
3. How many Senators served in the House?
• 49 of 100
  
4. How many Senators are children of Senators?
• Five - Evan Bayh (D-IN), Robert Bennett (R-UT), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Pryor (D-AR).
  
5. How many presidents has Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.) served under since he was sworn in?
• Ten, Dingell took office in December 1955.
  
6. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore failed to win 30 percent of the vote in four states in 2000. Name them.
• Alaska (28%), Idaho (28%), Utah (26%), Wyoming (28%)
  
7. Which three states switched their presidential vote from 2000 to 2004?
• Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico

Congress, it's just trivial!

Here are the answers from last week's quiz. How'd you do? Are you ready for some politics? Stay tuned.

1. Which member of Congress is the only one who refuses to disclose his or her date of birth?
• Representative Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) - best the Congressional Biographical Dictionary can say is December 1952.
  
2. Which member of Congress is baseball great Hank Aaron's brother-in-law?
• Representative David Scott (D-GA)
3. Which member of Congress delivered his 2002 opponent's baby?
• Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX)
  
4. Which member of Congress worked for Jerry Springer's 1982 Ohio gubernatorial campaign?
• Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
  
5. Which member of Congress carried the "nuclear football" for Presidents Carter and Reagan?
• Representative John Kline (R-MN)
  
6. Which member of Congress is the only member to list the addresses of all his district's bowling alleys on his congressional website? (Oh, think about this one, it's easy!)
• Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) (told you it was easy.)
  

More Questions from the Almanac of American Politics

Here are some more questions from the new issue of the 2008 Almanac of American Politics, which hit bookstores last week. Answers next week.

1. Which member appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a professional athlete?
2. How many current governors served in Congress?
3. How many Senators served in the House?
4. How many Senators are children of Senators?
5. How many presidents has Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.) served under since he was sworn in?
6. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore failed to win 30 percent of the vote in four states in 2000. Name them.
7. Which three states switched their presidential vote from 2000 to 2004?
   

Get Your Motor Running!

Don't you think that Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" would make an awesome campaign song? This on the heels of Senator Obama's admission that he used illegal drugs and drank in college (well, who didn't really?), maybe he should pick a new song.

But it is time to get pumped for the upcoming presidential campaign. Yes, sure it's been going on for a while, leading to this Onion story, but the Iowa caucuses are less than two months away! I hope that this blog will be your site for finding out who will grab their respective party's crowns and head off to the general election.

As a teaser, here is a short trivia, courtesy of today's Washington Post. Answers next week. And lots more content coming!

"Like us, you probably spend the holidays gathered around a roaring fire, leafing through the family's beloved, dog-eared copy of the Almanac of American Politics. (Did you know that Collin Peterson - the Susan Lucci of Congress - lost four consecutive races for Minnesota's 7th District before he got elected?) To pump you up for the newly released 2008 edition, the publishers offer these brainteasers to share with your loved ones this Thanksgiving."

1. Which member of Congress is the only one who refuses to disclose his or her date of birth?
2. Which member of Congress is baseball great Hank Aaron's brother-in-law?
3. Which member of Congress delivered his 2002 opponent's baby?
4. Which member of Congress worked for Jerry Springer's 1982 Ohio gubernatorial campaign?
5. Which member of Congress carried the "nuclear football" for Presidents Carter and Reagan?
6. Which member of Congress is the only member to list the addresses of all his district's bowling alleys on his congressional website? (Oh, think about this one, it's easy!)