Toomey, Dent 'Unlikely Newsmakers of 2013: Report

The National Journal has named Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District, to its list of "13 Unlikely Congressional Newsmakers of 2013."

Toomey and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., were the last hope for gun-control advocates in the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, the report said. Though Toomey-Manchin amendment to expand background checks was narrowly defeated in the Senate, Toomey garnered national attention for his efforts.

"This is not about the NRA or politics for me," Toomey had said at the time.

And in a statement after the vote, Toomey said:

“I did what I thought was the right thing for our country. I sought out a compromise position that I thought could move the ball forward on an important matter of public safety. My only regret is that our amendment did not pass...."

The Toomey-Manchin bill was spoofed in a skit on "Saturday Night Live." 

In naming Dent to the "Unlikely Newsmakers" list, the National Journal pointed to Dent's frustration with his party over the government shutdown this year and his prediction that it wouldn't stop Obamacare. 

The National Journal wrote:

"[Dent] became a media darling overnight for bluntly voicing his frustration on the shutdown and then offering a thinly veiled "I told you so" when it was all over." 

Dent represents Lehigh County and part of Northampton County.