WASHINGTON Democrats may now be in the minority in the Senate, but a clutch of their centrists will hold particular sway as bridge-builders and powerbrokers.
In order to get anything done, the Republican majority of 54 still needs six Democrats more if some GOP members peel off to clear procedural hurdles and bring legislation to a vote.
And Republicans will be under substantial pressure to get things done in the next two years. To give themselves the best chance to hold the Senate and win the White House, Republicans will have to show that they can govern effectively, the thinking goes. And to do that, they will need at least a handful of Democrats in the Senate.
"Democratic senators from purple and red states will play a decisive role in consensus-building, writes former Sen. Olympia Snowe, a key Republican bridge-builder herself during her years in Congress, in an e-mail.
In interviews, potential aisle-crossing Democrats expressed willingness to work with the new Republican majority, led by Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. But dont expect them to be pushovers. They have their own issues and interests to watch out for. They also cant be considered as a voting bloc, because their votes will depend on the issue.
Still, several say they want to help break the gridlock that has come to characterize Congress.
If there was one message I heard from a much closer election than I or others anticipated, it was that people want us to get stuff done, said Sen. Mark Warner (D) of Virginia, in the waning days of the 113th Congress the second least-productive Congress in modern history.
Senator Warner is on the Republicans go-to list of Democrats, along with Sens. Tim Kaine (also of Virginia), Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, is also a top prospectfor Republicans.
The dealmaking is moving quickly.
On Wednesday, Senator Donnelly joined Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine to unveil proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act. The legislation would change the ACA definition of full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40 in order to prevent companies from reducing employees' hours to avoid the employer mandate. The House is expected to pass a similar measure this week.
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