US Senate

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Harris Casts Historic Vote
Harris Casts Historic Vote
Jul 12, 2023 6:25 PM CDT

Harris Casts Historic Vote

It took John C. Calhoun much longer to record 31 tiebreakers

(Newser) - Kamala Harris, who made history as the first woman or person of color to serve as vice president, made history again Wednesday as she matched the record for most tiebreaking votes in the US Senate. The vote, her 31st, advanced the nomination of Kalpana Kotagal to the Equal Employment Opportunity...

House or Senate Run? Top Dem Makes the Call

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin is going for his 5th term in the House of Representatives

(Newser) - Congressman Jamie Raskin has launched his latest election campaign—but it's not for US Senate, as some had speculated. WBFF reports that the Democrat, who represents Maryland's 8th District in the US House of Representatives, announced Friday he'll be running for his fifth term in the House,...

Baseball Legend Could Stir Up Race for Feinstein's Seat

Steve Garvey is a Republican, but also famous, so 'never say never'

(Newser) - You'd have to go back a generation—to 1988—to find the last time a Republican candidate won a US Senate race in heavily Democratic California. This time, the party might get an MVP on the ballot. Baseball legend Steve Garvey, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and...

Kyrsten Sinema: No, I Won't Join GOP

Senator, newly independent, says she's done with 2-party system

(Newser) - Kyrsten Sinema has no more interest in becoming a Republican than she had in remaining a Democrat, apparently. Asked on Face the Nation Sunday whether, now that the former Democrat is an independent , there's any chance she'll someday join the GOP, the senator said no, Politico reports. "...

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice Running for Manchin's Seat

Manchin has not yet announced whether he will run for reelection

(Newser) - West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday that he is running for Democrat Joe Manchin’s US Senate seat in 2024, setting up what could be a hard-fought campaign between two of the state’s most prominent politicians, the AP reports. Justice, an ultrawealthy businessman who is barred from...

Murkowski, King Want Court to Follow a Code of Conduct

Republican, Independent introduce bill, citing falling public confidence in justices

(Newser) - Despite revelations about Supreme Court justices ' failure to be forthcoming on financial transactions that could pose conflicts of interest, Chief Justice John Roberts and his colleagues have shown little interest in addressing the issue. One Republican and one Independent senator have moved to increase the pressure on them by...

2 Senators Go Back to Work
2 Senators Go Back to Work
Apr 17, 2023 9:55 AM CDT

2 Senators Go Back to Work

Mitch McConnell, John Fetterman return to the Capitol after lengthy absences

(Newser) - The Senate is a little more full on Monday, but just as red and blue: Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman will be back at work in the US Capitol on Monday, reports the AP . McConnell's return comes almost six weeks after a fall at...

Mike Lee&#39;s Utah Race Is Surprisingly Tight
In Utah Senate Race,
a 'Wild Card' Emerges
the rundown
Oct 17, 2022 11:36 AM CDT

In Utah Senate Race, a 'Wild Card' Emerges

Independent Evan McMullin is close in the polls to GOP incumbent Mike Lee

(Newser) - One of the more intriguing Senate races in November is out of Utah, where Republican Sen. Mike Lee—a staunch ally of Donald Trump—is in a surprisingly tight race with independent challenger Evan McMullin. Real Clear Politics still projects Lee to hold the seat, but Lee is up by...

Senate Candidate's Relatives Come Out Hard—for His Rival

14 family members of Nevada's Adam Laxalt, a Republican, want voters to cast ballot for Dem

(Newser) - The GOP has claimed the mantle of being the party of "traditional family values," but Republican Adam Laxalt can't even get a good chunk of his own family on board his campaign as he runs for a US Senate seat in Nevada, a key toss-up state in...

Senate Backs Bill to Head Off Shutdown, Add Aid for Ukraine

Measure goes to House, with a deadline of midnight Friday

(Newser) - The Senate passed a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a partial government shutdown when the current fiscal year ends at midnight Friday and provide another infusion of military and economic aid to Ukraine as it seeks to repel Russia's invasion. The bill finances the federal government...

Same-Sex Marriage Vote to Wait Till After Midterms

Blunt suggests nervous Republicans will be more likely to vote yes later

(Newser) - The Senate Democrat leading the effort to pass legislation protecting same-sex marriage plans to hold off until after the midterm elections, apparently heeding the advice of a retiring Republican. "If I wanted to pass that, and I was the majority leader and I wanted to get as many votes...

McConnell Worried About 'Candidate Quality' in Senate Races

Minority leader thinks the race for control of the chamber is too close to call

(Newser) - Historically speaking, the party of the sitting US president loses ground in the midterms , ceding seats in the House or Senate, or both if it's a particularly brutal bloodbath. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is holding off on proclaiming any kind of premature victory in his own chamber...

Voting 95-1, Senate Backs Sweden, Finland Joining NATO

McConnell had lobbied Republicans, saying a larger alliance will make US safer

(Newser) - Russian aggression helped bring Republicans and Democrats together on Wednesday, as the Senate voted 95-1 to endorse letting Finland and Sweden join NATO. A two-thirds vote would have been sufficient, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had been lobbying his members, the New York Times reports. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, McConnell...

Senate Has Reached Compromise on Gun Violence Bill

Schumer predicts approval later this week

(Newser) - Senate bargainers reached agreement Tuesday on a bipartisan gun violence bill, potentially teeing up final passage by week's end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation. Lawmakers released the 80-page bill nine...

House Makes a First Move on Gun Laws

Chamber passes legislation, but it stands no chance in the Senate

(Newser) - The House passed a wide-ranging gun control bill Wednesday in response to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds. The legislation...

It's a Close One Between Oz, McCormick in Pa. Primary

GOP contenders are neck and neck in state's primary, with Kathy Barnette now out of the race

(Newser) - Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has won his state's Democratic primary to run for a US Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pat Toomey, but the race to see which GOPer will face off against him is a nail-biter—and it could be a while before the victor is...

Manchin's Approval Rating Has Jumped 17 Points

Republicans give moderate Democratic senator a big popularity boost

(Newser) - Sen. Joe Manchin is a popular man these days—but not so much among his fellow Democrats. According to a Morning Consult poll, the West Virginia senator's approval rating jumped from 40% to 57% in the year after President Biden took office, putting him among America's ten most...

Feinstein Reports Showcase the System's Lack of Options

Ruth Marcus writes that the senator's staff may not be doing the nation a service

(Newser) - Anecdotes about Sen. Dianne Feinstein's memory issues ring true to Ruth Marcus , based on her own reporting. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle detailed the experiences of colleagues and aides with what they said seem to be the 88-year-old senator's fading mental acuity. Writing in the Washington ...

Lawmakers Cite Concerns on Feinstein's Memory, She Balks

'I'm rather puzzled,' 88-year-old Dem senator says of 'Chronicle' report on her mental acuity

(Newser) - Dianne Feinstein is pushing back on a report that her memory is fading and she may be mentally unfit to continue serving in the US Senate—concerns voiced even by fellow Democrats. On Thursday, the San Francisco Chronicle published those concerns from ex-staffers, four senators (three of them Democrats), and...

History to Be Made in Today's Senate Vote

Ketanji Brown Jackson expected to be confirmed as first Black woman on US Supreme Court

(Newser) - Ketanji Brown Jackson is on the cusp of ascending to the Supreme Court, in what will be the first Senate confirmation of a Black woman to the nation's highest bench. An initial vote to avoid dozens of hours of debate on the 51-year-old judge's nomination will take...

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