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Hruska was elected in 1952 to the Omaha-dominated 2nd congressional district in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. He served only part of one term and instead ran for the Senate to fill the vacancy created by the death of Hugh Alfred Butler (1878-1954).<ref name=wpost/> Hruska won, and was reelected in 1958, 1964, and 1970 and served in the Senate until his retirement in 1977. His opponent in 1958 and 1970 was the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Frank Brenner Morrison (1905-2004), the governor of Nebraska from 1961 to 1967. Hruska did not run for reelection to a fourth Senate term in 1976 and was succeeded by the Republican-turned-Democrat Edward Zorinsky, who had also followed Hruska in the U.S. House in 1954.

Hruska was elected in 1952 to the Omaha-dominated 2nd congressional district in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. He served only part of one term and instead ran for the Senate to fill the vacancy created by the death of Hugh Alfred Butler (1878-1954).<ref name=wpost/> Hruska won, and was reelected in 1958, 1964, and 1970 and served in the Senate until his retirement in 1977. His opponent in 1958 and 1970 was the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Frank Brenner Morrison (1905-2004), the governor of Nebraska from 1961 to 1967. Hruska did not run for reelection to a fourth Senate term in 1976 and was succeeded by the Republican-turned-Democrat Edward Zorinsky, who had also followed Hruska in the U.S. House in 1954.

Even after [[U.S. President [[Richard M. Nixon]] resigned, Hruska continued to defend him and claimed that Watergate was a partisan effort to attack Nixon.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hruska dead at 94 |url=http://columbustelegram.com/hruska-dead-at/article_584e3153-72c9-5396-a319-db66befe8fcf.html |publisher=''The Columbus Telegram''|date=April 26, 1999|accessdate=April 22, 2018}}</ref>

Even after [[U.S. President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]] resigned, Hruska continued to defend him and claimed that Watergate was a partisan effort to hammer Nixon.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hruska dead at 94 |url=http://columbustelegram.com/hruska-dead-at/article_584e3153-72c9-5396-a319-db66befe8fcf.html |publisher=''The Columbus Telegram''|date=April 26, 1999|accessdate=April 22, 2018}}</ref>

Hruska is remember for his statement that "even the mediocre need a little representation too" during the Senate defeat of the confirmation of Judge George Harrold Carswell (1919-1992) to the [[United States Supreme Court]]. A former segregationist from [[Georgia]] and [[Florida]], Carswell's Senate critics had called him "mediocre."  The seat then went to the [[liberal]] [[Harry Blackmun]] of [[Minnesota], the principal author of ''[[Roe v. Wade]].'' The complete quote is "Even if he (Carswell) were mediocre, ’there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they, and a little chance? We can’t have all [[Louis Brandeis|Brandeises]], [[Felix Frankfurter|Frankfurters]], and [[Benjamin Cardozo|Cardozos.’’<ref>McCain's "Hruskaism:" The Mediocre People of America Deserve Representation! | HuffPost, accessed July 6, 2021.</ref>Hruska's remarks did not prevent his reelection to the Senate in November 1970, seven months after his "mediocre" statement.

Hruska is remember for his statement that "even the mediocre need a little representation too" during the Senate defeat of the confirmation of Judge George Harrold Carswell (1919-1992) to the [[United States Supreme Court]]. A former segregationist from [[Georgia]] and [[Florida]], Carswell's Senate critics had called him "mediocre."  The seat then went to the [[liberal]] [[Harry Blackmun]] of [[Minnesota], the principal author of ''[[Roe v. Wade]].'' The complete quote is "Even if he (Carswell) were mediocre, ’there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they, and a little chance? We can’t have all [[Louis Brandeis|Brandeises]], [[Felix Frankfurter|Frankfurters]], and [[Benjamin Cardozo|Cardozos.’’<ref>McCain's "Hruskaism:" The Mediocre People of America Deserve Representation! | HuffPost, accessed July 6, 2021.</ref>Hruska's remarks did not prevent his reelection to the Senate in November 1970, seven months after his "mediocre" statement.