Senate rules reform whip count, August 5th: Your help is needed

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Aug 05, 2010 at 17:00

For the first time, the whip count lists every potential and returning Senator for 2011 (see definitions of potential and returning in the note at the end of this post). This includes Senators for whom I have not found any statements on filibuster reform during 2009-2010.

I need your help to flesh out this whip count as much as possible.  Which Senators with unknown positions can you find statements for?  Which Senators who have made statements can you find more clarity on? If we are going to get anywhere in this campaign, we need an accurate picture of where every returning and potential Senator stands.

Please, post whatever additions or edits you can find in the extended entry.  There is going to be a lot more on this during the rest of August, and the rest of the year.  Any information you can provide will be helpful to that effort.

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Senate Rules Reform Whip Count, August 5th
Among Returning Senators (48 plus Biden)

• Favor 51-vote Senate (9): Bingaman (NM); Brown (OH); Harkin (IA); Johnson (SD); Kerry (MA); Lautenberg (NJ); Lieberman (CT); Mikulski (MD); Shaheen (NH);
  

• Favor / considering some sort of reform (18): Begich (AK); Biden (VP); Blumenthal (CT, incoming); Casey (PA); Cardin (MD);  Durbin (IL); Conrad (ND); Franken (MN); Gillibrand (NY); Leahy (VT); Levin (MI); McCaskill (MO); Merkley (OR); Sanders (VT); Schumer (NY); Stabenow (MI); Udall (NM); Warner (VA)

• Wary or lean opposed to 51-vote Senate, but not necessarily to other reforms (6): Baucus (MT); Feinstein (CA); Landrieu (LA); Pryor (AR); Rockefeller (WV); Tester (MI)

• Currently opposed to 51-vote Senate, and possibly all reform (2): Akaka (HI); Nelson (NE)

• Unknown (14): Cantwell (WA); Carper (DE); Hagan (NC); Inouye (HI); Klobuchar (MN); Kohl (WI); Manchin (WV); Menendez (NJ); Nelson (FL); Reid (RI); Udall (CO); Webb (VA); Whitehouse (RI); Wyden (OR)

Potential Senators in 2011 (15 or 16)

• Favor 51-vote Senate (2): Fisher (OH); Giannoulias (IL)

• Favor / considering some sort of reform (7): Bennet (CO); Carnahan (MO); Conway (KY); Feingold (WI); Hodes (NH) Marshall (NC); Reid (NV)

• Wary or lean opposed to 51 vote Senate, but not necessarily to other reforms (1): Sestak (PA)

• Unknown (3-4): Boxer (CA); Melancon (LA); Murray (WA);  (Crist?)

Note: "Returning Senators" includes incoming Senators currently pegged with a 100% chance of victory, according to the latest Senate Forecast.  "Potential Senators" is a category restricted to Senators with between a 1% and 99% of being in the Senate next year, according to the latest Senate forecast.