Senate Democrats could notch two more big accomplishments before November

Democrats have managed to do a surprising amount with the thinnest possible majority in the Senate—but there’s more they can and must do before the midterm elections, bills already passed in the House that should either pass the Senate or force Republicans to show themselves just before the elections.

Wednesday, Sen. Tammy Baldwin told CNN's Manu Raju that Democrats are “darn close” to getting 10 Republican senators to back a marriage equality bill, saying she “absolutely” wants it passed before November. Yes, this. With a Supreme Court that has shown itself not just willing but eager to overturn far longer-standing precedents than Obergefell v. Hodges, Congress has to act to protect the marriages of millions of people. That’s an important policy—and if 10 Republicans don’t join Democrats to support it, well, the politics don’t work in favor of Republicans.

If Democrats can’t get those 10 Republican votes locked down in private in time for a vote, they still need to hold that vote and see what happens. Republicans will draw this thing out, dangling the possibility of their support, as long as they can in an effort to run out the clock. But when it comes to a public vote, what will they do? 

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