What’s the difference between Bigfoot and elected representatives intent on avoiding the press?
One can be nearly impossible to find … the other is Bigfoot.
That is why we at NPR had to be impressed with what a group of eight interns in Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office have accomplished. In just three short weeks, these interns doggedly tracked down all 100 senators, and took a selfie with them.
We wanted to hear more about what those interns learned about the senators over the course of their adventure.
NPR’s Scott Detrow interviewed two of the interns, Lillian Yang and Claire Moreland. Here’s how they described some of the senators:
The most fun senator
Yang and Moreland told NPR the most fun senator was New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who has a reputation for his warm and personable demeanor.
“Senator Booker was just sincerely delightful,” Moreland said. “And he was so kind and respectful and genuine.”
He is also the ideal selfie candidate: Not only does he have a big smile, he also stands at 6’3″, giving him the needed wingspan to snap a selfie with everyone in it.
The most elusive senator
Although she was not the last senator to be found, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was the hardest to track down, Moreland told us.
This should not be surprising. Sinema is a known fitness enthusiast and, as legend has it, she can run a mile under 7 minutes.
Nevertheless, the independent senator from Arizona was not quick enough to escape the camera shutters of the Murkowski interns.
The dreamiest senator
The interns said Sen. Booker was the most fun to snap a selfie with, but with a little prodding from Moreland and Detrow, Yang confessed to having another favorite.
MORELAND: Lillian, I think you had another favorite senator, didn’t you?
YANG: I had a personal favorite.
DETROW: Well, who was the personal favorite? You’re teasing it. You got to let us know.
YANG: Personal favorite was Senator Ossoff.
Yang did not detail exactly why Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff was her favorite; however, she is not alone in her affinity for him.
Ossoff boasts a healthy following of smitten internet fans — a community that even crosses borders and includes an Instagram fan account.
The longest holdout
While Sinema might have been the hardest to pin down, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar took the longest to track down, Moreland and Yang said.
“We actually were waiting outside the Senate floor for hours,” Yang said.
The Murkowski interns finally managed to nab their 100th senator selfie with some assistance from their colleagues in Klobuchar’s office.
“Eventually, [Klobuchar’s] interns heard about it because we were blowing up on Twitter and her interns helped us get Senator Klobuchar off the floor to take a picture of us,” Yang said.
Now that’s true bipartisanship.
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