Wall of Fame

Documented acts of political bravery: votes, stands, and choices that put country over party — and usually cost something.

AI-generated illustration: a lone vintage microphone at an empty Senate lectern in warm morning light
Wall of Fame

The senator who stood up to her own party first

Sen. Margaret Chase Smith — U.S. Senator, Maine (1949–1973)

In 1950, freshman senator Margaret Chase Smith denounced McCarthyism on the Senate floor while most of her party stayed silent. It cost her; history vindicated her.

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