November 7, 2000: Hillary Rodham Clinton is elected to the Senate

By Alexandra Marks | Staff Writer of The Christian Science Monitor

From the November 9, 2000 issue

HOW MRS. CLINTON MIGHT FUNCTION IN CLUBBY

SENATE

Celebrity will make her one of the most prominent, and most scrutinized, members.



Hillary Rodham Clinton now holds two titles never before strung together: first lady and senator-elect.

Her historic and decisive double-digit victory in the New York Senate race gives her a unique status that presents striking advantages, as she arrives on Capitol Hill fresh from the White House, but also serious challenges.

“She’s going to face a whole new world,” says Richard Fenno, a political scientist at the University of Rochester in New York. “Sure, she’ll be warmly received at first. But how long it will last, and how widespread it will be, depends on 8 million different things.”

Mrs. Clinton will be a junior member in the seniority-conscious Senate, a body known for its collegiality, decorum, and respect for tradition.

But she’s also expected to face lingering resentment. After all, it was just two years ago that the GOP leadership tried to throw her husband out of office. The battle scars from that bitterly partisan episode are still healing.

Her status as a celebrity could also cut both ways. If Vice President Al Gore loses the presidency, which at time of writing was uncertain, she’s expected to become the leading voice of the Democratic Party. That’s a high-profile position in an institution of quiet, behind-the-scenes dealmaking, where political power is expected to be earned.

Combine all the elements, and Clinton will be without doubt the most-scrutinized junior senator of the new millennium.

“If she holds a press conference, every network in the country is going to show up,” says Phil Klinkner, a government professor from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had someone that was this much of a political celebrity coming out of the gate.”

The closest is Robert Kennedy in 1964. He, too, had an important position in the White House, thanks to a familial connection. He ran for Senate in New York, was tagged as a carpetbagger, and won - although not with as substantial a victory as Clinton. When he arrived on Capitol Hill, he was met with some suspicion.

“A lot of people wondered if he was a dilettante, and a lot of people loyal to Lyndon Johnson wanted to freeze him out,” says Professor Klinkner. “But he really proved himself, showed that he was serious about legislation, and grew in the job.”

Clinton’s supporters contend her journey from controversial first lady to awkward-then-confident candidate to her bigger-than-expected victory indicates she’ll have the same success.

Before a cheering crowd at her packed victory party in the ballroom of Manhattan’s Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York Sen. Charles Schumer (D) insisted that Hillary, as she’s now known in the state, will win the hearts and respect of all Americans the same way she won New York: with hard work, and by sticking to the issues.

“Despite all the skepticism and negativity, she convinced New Yorkers that she really cared about them,” he said.

Clinton, flanked by the president, their daughter Chelsea, and retiring Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D), expressed gratitude. “I will reach across party lines to bring progress for all of New York families,” she said. “Today we voted as Democrats and Republicans; tomorrow we begin as New Yorkers.”

Pundits chalk up her surprisingly strong showing to her early and regular attention to the traditionally conservative upstate region, and a massive get-out-the-vote drive. She also showed a stubborn determination to stick to the issues - from healthcare to education to abortion rights.

Just a few blocks away, at a dispirited Lazio election-night party, Republicans were assessing the impact of Rep. Rick Lazio’s poor showing. “The Republican Party is in disarray,” says Thomas Lipscomb, one of the party faithful.

Analysts say the first lady’s strong showing upstate, where she took 47 percent of the vote, sends a message that the GOP can no longer take the region for granted. “Republicans have always said upstate is conservative, but the truth is that it is not anymore - it has become much more moderate,” says political consultant Joseph Mercurio.

Staff writer Ron Scherer contributed to this report.

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society