Cornyn, Schumer Travel in High Style

(NEWSER) - If you ask leading Democrats who can replace Ted Kennedy as the Senate’s liberal standard-bearer, the most frequent answer is “nobody,” writes Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times. No one has a record to match Kennedy’s, and in today’s Senate, building one would be virtually impossible. "The Senate is much more polarized than it was when Kennedy arrived in 1962, and that makes legislating—especially legislating based on bipartisan compromise—more difficult," McManus writes. More»

Latest trends show even Reid, Spector, Dodd in trouble: Silver

(NEWSER) - Things are looking brighter for Republicans in the Senate, writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. In his monthly ranking of which seats are most likely to switch parties in 2010, Republicans have made a big move. Of the 10 seats that look more likely to switch hands, seven favor Republicans. “While there are still plenty of opportunities for Democrats,” he writes, “I believe that Republicans are now slightly more likely to gain seats.” More»

Judiciary committee members share spotlight with nominee

(NEWSER) - Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation looks likely, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some drama between here and there. Politico runs down which senators have the most to win—and the most to lose:

• Patrick Leahy: Facing his first nominee as judiciary chairman, Leahy’s eager to get Sotomayor through ASAP, but risks Republican wrath if he rushes.

GOP colleagues 'stunned,' angered by senator's party switch

(NEWSER) - Newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter said he will not blindly toe the party line, Politico reports. “I will not be an automatic 60th vote,” the veteran Pennsylvania senator said, pointing out recent opposition to a unionization bill. “If the Democratic Party asks too much, I will not vote with them.” More»

Kennedy, Collins named most bipartisan

(NEWSER) - If you want to reach across the aisle in the Senate, chances are you're stretching toward Ted Kennedy or Susan Collins, according to a Hill survey of the upper chamber. “I’d love to co-sponsor every piece of legislation with Ted Kennedy,” says Sen. Richard Burr. The most partisan least faves? Democrat Patrick Leahy, for whom Dick Cheney had some explicit advice in 2004, and Republican Jim Bunning is so partisan that many Dems won’t talk to him except about baseball. More»