Those members of Congress who revolt against their party leadership are known as insurgents—from the Latin word meaning “to rise up.” Insurgents have often risen up against what they perceive as dictatorial behavior by the leadership or against the suppression of legislative reforms that they favor. Insurgents run the risk of being punished by the leadership for their defections.
The most famous insurgency took place in 1909, when progressive Republicans joined with Democrats to reduce the powers of Speaker Joseph G. Cannon. On an individual level, William Proxmire (Democrat–Wisconsin), a freshman senator in 1958, publicly denounced the powerful Senate majority leader, Lyndon B. Johnson, for his domineering behavior. Proxmire spoke on George Washington's birthday, a day when the Senate traditionally hears a reading of Washington's Farewell Address. Reporters joked that there were two farewell addresses that day: Washington's and Proxmire's. But Proxmire's insurgent spirit did not hurt him with the voters in his state, who regularly reelected him to the Senate.
See also Cannon, Joseph G.; Johnson Lyndon B.
