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U.S. Senate Democrats are pledging to hold more votes before Novembers election on raising the federal minimum wage, conceding they probably wont have enough support to move the measure forward today.

Were going to keep bringing it back, New York Senator Charles Schumer, the chambers third-ranking Democrat, said yesterday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a procedural vote today on legislation to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25. President Barack Obama called for the increase in his State of the Union address in January. The measure needs 60 votes to advance in the 100-member Senate.

Raising the federal wage is a central element of congressional Democrats election-year focus on income inequality, an issue they say resonates with voters and will help them keep control of the chamber. Republicans must win a net six seats in November to gain a majority in the Senate.

If it fails on Wednesday, its coming back, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, told reporters yesterday. We will bring it back. We will not surrender.

No Republicans have said they support the measure, and a few Democrats have expressed concern that $10.10 an hour might be too high for a wage floor. Among them is Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, who has said he wont support the bill.

Pryor, who is seeking a third term this year in a state that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won by 24 percentage points in 2012, has stayed in Arkansas to assist with recovery efforts following deadly tornadoes there on April 27. Lucy Speed, a spokeswoman for Pryor, said the senator would remain in Arkansas and not be present for todays vote.

Senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Warner of Virginia, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tom Carper of Delaware are among the other Democrats who have expressed reservations about raising the wage to $10.10 an hour.

Landrieu has since said she will support the measure and Manchin said yesterday he would vote to advance the bill, S. 2223. Landrieu is seeking re-election this year in a competitive race.

Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has ruled out raising the wage to less than $10.10 an hour, even as Senator Susan Collins has been seeking support for an alternative that would include a smaller increase. No Democrats have publicly signed on to the effort by Collins, a Maine Republican.

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Senate Minimum Wage Vote Wont Be Last, Democrats Say