History shows every moment counts for Dems’ hold on Senate

By ALAN FRAM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 600 sitting senators have died or resigned since the first Congress met in 1789. That doesn’t mean another will happen soon. But it does underline the precarious position that President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats face after the stroke by New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján. Democrats control the 50-50 Senate because of Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote. With Luján’s stroke, his party is outnumbered and can’t approve bills or nominations without Republican support. Luján is 49 and Democrats say they expect him back in four weeks to six weeks. But the Senate’s history of turnover underlines the tenuous Democratic hold on the chamber.