http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=3EC107F4-DAAA-4494-9403-CF4AFEAC78E5 18 GOP senators oppose deal
By: Burgess Everett and Seung Min Kim
October 16, 2013 08:26 PM EDT
When it came time to vote on a bill to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling, the top two Senate Republicans just couldn’t agree.
Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) opposed the deal brokered by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) , who negotiated the pact with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Both Cornyn and McConnell are up for reelection in 2014 and McConnell has already drawn serious challengers from both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Overall, 18 Republican senators opposed the final vote on approving the deal to end the crisis. All members of the Democratic caucus supported it.
The other members of the GOP leadership team — Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Barrasso of Wyoming and Roy Blunt of Missouri — all approved the deal hashed out by the Republican leader.
Besides Cornyn, the deal was opposed by several other GOP senators who are watching their right flanks ahead of 2014 reelection bids: Sens. Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Pat Roberts of Kansas. But overall McConnell was able to hold together the majority of his 46-member caucus to support his deal, though senators said he did not twist arms in party meetings ahead of the vote.
The other Republican senators that opposed the bill: Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Tim Scott of South Carolina, David Vitter of Louisiana, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Jim Risch of Idaho, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Dean Heller of Nevada.
