Some members of Congress have gone a little mad — March Mad, that is. (Sports jokes are fun.) Like the rest of us who filled out a NCAA tournament bracket, either by choice or by peer pressure, politicians are showing off who they think will win it all. As with any bracket selection, it was a battle of head versus heart.
The best way to show you love your home district or state? To choose them to win it all, of course.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia had it easy, choosing the University of Virginia to win overall. He also predicts that Virginia Tech will fall to Villanova. Cruel, but fair.
The love Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has for North Carolina is clear in his bracket. He chose No. 2 seeds University of North Carolina and Duke University to make it to the final, with UNC taking home the trophy.
In case it is not clear from her bracket, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto hails from the great state of Nevada. She proudly (look at all those exclamation points) supports her alma mater, the University of Nevada at the top. Going boldly where her male colleagues did not, Masto’s choice is a No. 7 seed.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio makes is kind of difficult to see who he actually chose to win, but it looks like he chose home state favorite, No. 2 seed University of Cincinnati. As he points out in this tweet, Ohio really does have a lot to be proud of, with teams dotting the schedule.
As for the US representatives who are less represented in the top tiers of the tournament, they made some interesting choices.
Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, stays loyal to the Midwest, choosing Indiana’s Purdue University to win (out of a Final Four that also includes Michigan State).
Rep. Rick Allen, R-Georgia knocks out Georgia State in the first round — brutal! — but then selects Auburn University as his champion. The Auburn basketball team isn’t where my mind initially goes when I think of its sports program, but I’m here for this decision.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-New York, kept his bracket pretty safe, with a wild Final Four of three No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed. Bold.
Republican Sen. John Thune didn’t tweet his bracket, but he tweeted something so much better: well wishes for the South Dakota State basketball teams, accompanied by a GIF of Will Ferrell banging a cowbell.
Not letting Congress have all the fun, President Barack Obama and former FBI Director James Comey also shared their brackets. During his time in office, Obama regularly made his bracket reveal a whole thing.
Embracing an equal opportunity chance to have his dreams dashed, Obama filled out both a men’s and women’s tournament bracket. Obama tries to look bold by choosing No. 3 seed Michigan State as his champion in the men’s tournament.
Lordy, James Comey hopes Virginia wins. The best part of the former FBI director’s bracket is in the East region, where he straight up doesn’t choose a winner in Arkansas versus Butler because he’s clearly already decided Purdue would steamroll its way into his Elite Eight.
Odds are everyone’s bracket will be busted after the end of the first round, so really nothing matters.