Legislation's Backers to Target Senators Who Blocked Action

Opposition Centers on Constitutionality of Measure

Proponents of the D.C. voting-rights bill plan to target several lawmakers who helped sink the measure on the Senate floor this week, hoping to change their minds so the legislation can be revived.

On Tuesday, supporters fell three short of the 60 votes needed to begin action on the bill. Unless they can convert several opponents into allies, the legislation is dead for the 2007-08 Congress.

Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, a prominent supporter of the bill, said the group will carry out a grass-roots advocacy campaign aimed at eight senators, some facing reelection.

"At the end of the day, there is real likelihood we'll be able to get enough of them in support of the bill to achieve the objective," he said.

But the effort won't be easy. The Republican minority leader, Mitch McConnell, has rallied his party to oppose the bill, calling it unconstitutional. Eight Republicans voted in favor of starting action on the measure, and 41 voted against it. All but two Democrats voted to proceed with the bill.

The legislation was crafted as a bipartisan compromise. It adds two seats to the House of Representatives: one for the heavily Democratic District and another for the next state in line to pick up a seat. For the next several years, that seat would go to the mostly Republican Utah.

Yesterday marked the first time in almost 30 years that the Senate had taken up the D.C. vote issue. The bill passed the House in April.

McConnell has argued that the bill violates the constitutional requirement that House representatives be chosen by residents of states.

"To vote for it would violate our oath of office, in which we solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution," he said in a floor speech this week.

The Republican leadership succeeded in peeling off several senators who had been counted as allies by the bill's supporters.

"When we went to bed Monday night, we had 61 votes," said Ilir Zherka, executive director of the advocacy group DC Vote. But the following afternoon, he added, "we had 57."

Henderson said his group's targets would include four senators who voted to block consideration of the bill after initially indicating support. He identified them as Republicans Thad Cochran (Miss.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Gordon Smith (Ore.) and the lone Democrat present who opposed proceeding to the bill, Max Baucus (Mont.)