What type of US Senators were Byrd and Rockefeller?

[viva la]

1. Byrd was the 'king of pork"

Always getting federal $ for his state. I remember he managed to get a big FBI branch moved there, and it was considered quite a coup, as it was completely the wrong place to have a bunch of pre-internet law enforcement agents. But no matter how much tax money he funneled into WV, it stayed quite poor. He was pretty beloved, I think-- centrist, but more about shovelling pork than progressive politics. Dealing as he did with a very poor state, he was able to support LBJ's progressive policies because back then, poor white people voted for those who helped them out (rather than for, you know, McConnell).

Rockefeller was pretty weird-- rich family, New Yorker, elite, uncle was GOP vp, another uncle was GOP governor. But he was well-liked, as I recall. Back then, the mineworkers union (though often horrifically corrupt) was quite powerful and tended Democratic.

Byrd (good ol' boy) might get elected now, but I don't know about Rockefeller. He was kind of a moderate corporate-style Democrat, but back then, that brought labor support.