Editing John Danforth (section)

====Tenure====
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During the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings for [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] nominee [[Clarence Thomas]], Danforth used his clout to support Thomas, who had served Danforth during his state attorney general years and later as an aide in the Senate.<ref name="auto1"/>

Danforth portrayed himself as a political moderate, but voted like his right-wing Republican colleagues, including sustaining filibusters. He was once quoted as saying he joined the Republican Party for "the same reason you sometimes choose which movie to see—[it's] the one with the shortest line."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/nov/15/usa.marktran|title=Names in the frame|first=Mark|last=Tran|date=Nov 15, 2004|access-date=Sep 17, 2020|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>

Danforth is a longtime opponent of [[capital punishment]], as he made clear on the Senate floor in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=1940 |title=New Voices – Conservative Voices |publisher=Deathpenaltyinfo.org |access-date=2013-12-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713112245/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=1940 |archive-date=2007-07-13 }}</ref>

In 1988, [[George H. W. Bush]]'s presidential campaign vetted Danforth as a potential running mate. Bush selected Indiana Senator [[Dan Quayle]] instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=123349&page=1|title=Danforth, Cheney on Bush V.P. Short List|date=2006-01-06|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=2019-03-07}}</ref>