Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both D-Ark., — like dozens of others in Congress — weren’t so eager to support President Bush in his last year in office, according to a study by Congressional Quarterly.

The publication compared voting records from this year to the president’s previous seven years in office.

Lincoln aligned with Bush’s positions on votes this year just 42 percent of the time. Her presidential support pre-2008 had been 62 percent.

Likewise, Pryor had been with Bush 56 percent of the time since the freshman senator took office in 2003. This year, he was a Bush ally for just 45 percent of votes.

Still, both supported Bush more often than the majority of Senate Democrats. The median for the party was 50 percent with Bush until this year. The 2008 median for all Senate Democrats was 34 percent, according to the study.

The publication noted that support for the lame duck president declined among both parties in both houses of Congress this year. Lawmakers who face tough re-election bids were also more likely to abandon the president on key votes, the study suggested.

Tags: Blanche Lincoln, Mark Pryor, President Bush

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