Republicans who see new voting restrictions being imposed around the country as playing to their electoral benefit are in no mood to bend on a Democratic proposal that might erase some of that advantage.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021.
Manchin’s opposition in particular led Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and the majority leader, to make his latest failed attempt at breaking through the Republican blockade. After the vote, multiple Democrats said there was a need to “restore” the Senate to a point where filibusters were rare and majority votes were sufficient to advance important legislation.
“In the end, it is going to come down to getting Republicans or restoring order,” Tester said in an interview, conceding that winning Republican votes appeared unlikely. “I’m keeping it open,” he said about the possibility of revising the rules.