| 100% | MCCARTHY | 8 | Senator who in 1954 was sharply satirized in "Mad" comics #17 |
| 39% | JANUARY | 7 | Jones who was Betty Draper in Mad Men |
| 36% | PRYOR | 5 | Richard who in 2017 was named Best Stand-Up Comic of All Time by Rolling Stone |
| 36% | KAINE | 5 | Virginia senator who was Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016 |
| 35% | HOBBES | 6 | Fictional stuffed tiger who is Calvin's companion in a comic strip |
| 34% | HARRYREID | 9 | Senator after whom Las Vegas's airport was renamed in 2021 |
| 34% | TAFT | 4 | Ohio senator who was one of J.F.K.'s eight "Profiles in Courage" |
| 34% | SEA | 3 | With 39-Across, pirate witch who was a foe of Popeye in early comics |
| 33% | SAHL | 4 | Comic who said "A conservative is someone who believes in reform. But not now" |
| 33% | WALTERJOHNSON | 13 | Senators pitcher who was inducted in the first Hall of Fame ceremony: 2 wds. |
| 33% | TOMDASCHLE | 10 | S. Dakota Senator (1987-2005) who was elected floor leader in 1994 |
| 33% | KAINE | 5 | Virginia senator Tim who was Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016 |
| 33% | ARES | 4 | Marvel Comics character who is the god of war in Greek mythology |
| 33% | SNOWY | 5 | Wire Fox Terrier who is Tintin's canine sidekick in the comic series "The Adventures of Tintin" |
| 32% | ESCAPEE | 7 | Fugitive who, phonetically, is "hiding" in certain letters in 17-, 21-, 52- and 61-Across |
| 32% | LINUS | 5 | Comics character who said "Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life" |
| 32% | BYRD | 4 | Robert who was the longest-serving senator in US history, at 51 years |
| 32% | RIDDLER | 7 | Supervillain from DC Comics who is portrayed by Jim Carrey in "Batman Forever" |
| 32% | SCARECROW | 9 | Supervillain from DC Comics who is portrayed by Cillian Murphy in "Batman Begins" |
| 32% | HEMINGWAY | 9 | American writer Ernest, who won the Nobel in 1954 and whose debut novel was "The Sun Also Rises" |
| 32% | POISON | 6 | ___ Ivy, supervillain from DC Comics who is portrayed by Uma Thurman in "Batman & Robin" |
| 32% | JOKER | 5 | Supervillain from DC Comics who is portrayed by Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" |
| 32% | GEORGEMURPHY | 12 | American actor who served as the U.S. Senator from California and was also included in the Hollywood Walk of Fame: 2 wds. |
| 31% | PANTHER | 7 | The Black ___, a Marvel superhero who was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics |
| 31% | CALVIN | 6 | Comics title character who says "Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery" |
| 31% | THANOS | 6 | One of the most powerful Marvel comics supervillain who is also known as "The Mad Titan" |
| 31% | DANNY | 5 | Whom "the pipes are calling" in song |
| 31% | BYRD | 4 | Robert from West Virginia, who was the longest-serving U.S. Senator in history (51 years) |
| 31% | SABLE | 5 | Silver ___, character who is one of Spider-Man's love interests in the "What If?" comics |
| 31% | LEAMICHELE | 10 | Actress who plays 17-Across' girlfriend and was 29-Across' girlfriend in real life: 2 wds. |