NEWS

Republicans cozy up to McCaskill, other moderate Democrats

Deirdre Shesgreen and Nicole Gaudiano

WASHINGTON – Sen. Claire McCaskill says she and other moderate Senate Democrats could be a pivotal force in the next Congress, when the new Republican majority will woo them as swing votes on major legislation.

Republicans say she's right. And the courting has already started as the GOP prepares to take control of the Senate in January. Republican lawmakers have approached McCaskill, D-Mo., and other centrist Democrats about teaming up on everything from transportation legislation to corporate tax reform.

"They're all being very nice," said McCaskill, adding that Sen. Rand Paul, a tea party favorite from Kentucky, is among those who have recently approached her about teamwork on legislation.

If moderate Democrats expect to suddenly be in high demand, it's no wonder. Most legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes to break the threat of a filibuster. The GOP will claim 54 Senate votes next year, six short of that mark.

Republicans "now have the responsibility to do something more than object," McCaskill said. "They can't do it unless they attract some Democratic votes."

And the Senate's incoming GOP leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is desperate to prove Republicans can govern. He has vowed to end the gridlock that has paralyzed a sharply divided Congress.

Winning the support of moderate Democrats "will be the way that we can maybe bring compromise together in very effective ways," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "So I'm counting on some of them."

Democrats lost nine Senate seats in November elections. That includes seats held by four Democrats who resigned and five moderates who were defeated. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana was the latest to go down when she lost a Dec. 6 runoff election.

Come January, there will be about a dozen moderate Democrats left in the Senate, down from about 18 in 2011. McCaskill conceded the centrist ranks have thinned, but she said the group is still influential and organized, albeit informally.

"We're always on the floor and kind of huddling, and we talk to each other and text and email and phone," she said. "I usually hear from one of my moderate colleagues at least on a weekly basis."

McCaskill already has demonstrated a willingness to buck her party. After the Democrats' drubbing in November, she voted against Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to be the party's minority leader in the next Congress. She said the election results signaled voters want change and "common sense tells me that begins with changes in leadership."

McCaskill will also be a "yes" vote on the GOP's first order of business in the 114th Congress — authorizing construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline. She has long supported that project over objections from environmental groups that say it would exacerbate carbon pollution.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said he thinks moderate Democrats will agree that "we've got to lighten the burden that's costing millions of jobs in over-regulation."

"I think they got that message in the results of this election," Inhofe said.

Republicans and Democrats should be able to work together on legislation to fund long-term transportation projects, strengthen U.S. cyber defenses, lower corporate tax rates and break barriers to exports, said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

"There are going to be plenty of opportunities for people — both Democrats and Republicans — to serve as a bridge in the new Congress to pull folks toward the center," Carper said. "Otherwise, we'll never get anything done."

Some progressives worry that, even in smaller numbers, moderate Democrats could do major damage to the advancement of a populist economic agenda, whether by supporting trade deals that move jobs overseas or voting to cut corporate taxes.

"The worst possible thing for Democrats going into 2016 would be if we paper over the differences with Republicans by only focusing on small-bore, lowest-common denominator ideas, or even worse, if Democrats help pass unpopular right-wing ideas into law, hiding what Democrats really stand for," said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

Moderate Democrats may be willing to work on trade deals, tax reform or budget deals, said Matt Bennett, spokesman for the centrist think tank Third Way. But they're not going to vote for "veto bait," such as a repeal of the Affordable Care Act or sanctioning the president for his executive order on immigration, he said.

"There are places where you could see Democratic moderates really trying to find ways to say yes, but they're not going to compromise their principles to do it," Bennett said.

McCaskill said the split between progressive and centrist Democrats is overblown — hyped by the national media looking for a good storyline.

While there are some policy differences among Democrats, she said, they all agree on one essential goal, "which is fighting as hard as we know how for working families."

— Christopher Doering of USA TODAY contributed to this report. Contact Deirdre Shesgreen at dshesgreen@usatoday.com or @dshesgreen on Twitter