Politico’s Jonathan Martin On Manchin-Toomey, Mark Pryor & Tom Cotton
by May 12, 2013 8:55 am 167 views
Politico Senior Reporter Jonathan Martin says he doesn’t believe Sen. Mark Pryor (D) will have to take another vote on the controversial Manchin-Toomey gun control legislation.
Martin, appearing on the latest edition of Channel 4’s Capitol View, said that he does not believe some of the amendments being discussed will move the additional votes needed to clear a 60-vote U.S. Senate threshold.
“If you water down the bill, you run the risk of turning off some of the folks on the left,” said Martin.
“I don’t think it’s likely that you’re going to see another gun control vote on the Senate floor this year and probably next year for that matter. Harry Reid was embarrassed by losing that vote,” Martin said. “And the prospect of him bringing up another vote. It would probably only come if he knows that he’s got 60 votes and it’s unlikely that he’s going to get to 60.”
Martin also speculated on the 2014 U.S. Senate race in Arkansas, which will pit incumbent Democrat Mark Pryor versus an unannounced candidate, presumably first-term Fourth District Cong. Tom Cotton (R ).
“The Democrats here know that Mark Pryor has a golden family name, has a pretty impressive retail touch back there, and if any Democrat can still win statewide in Arkansas for the U.S. Senate, it’s Mark Pryor. And if he can’t win then perhaps no Democrat can still win there for a Senate race statewide,” Martin said.
Martin’s sources say that Republicans are confident of a pick-up no matter who is on the ballot. However, he said Cotton is the presumed favorite as the GOP contender.
“He is by far the preferred candidate against Pryor among not just the establishment here in Washington, but among conservatives here in Washington,” said Martin. “There’s sort of this ongoing tension between the conservative Tea Party wing of the party and the establishment wing of the party. He [Cotton] is one of those rare candidates or would-be candidates who unites both factions.”
You can watch Martin’s full interview below.