House members could turn omnibus vote to campaign advantage

The bill, which both parties have used for leverage in negotiations over other end-of-the-year congressional business, passed the House with almost an equal number of Democratic and Republican votes on Friday, but there were more than twice as many Republicans than Democrats who voted against it. The Senate gave its approval on Saturday.

{mosads}Many Democrats were unhappy with the process used to quickly pass the $1 trillion, 1,200 page bill that few had read in its entirety. Many Republicans — and especially Tea Party-affiliated members of the freshman class — decried the fact that it used spending levels set in the summer debt-ceiling deal, and not in the Republican budget proposal, which would have further cut the deficit.

Arizona Reps. David Schweikert and Ben Quayle, two Republicans who are likely to square off in a two-member showdown after being pitted against each other by redistricting, both voted against the bill. Republican Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Don Manzullo are in the same position in Illinois — and both voted “no.”

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D) voted against the bill, but Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who redistricting had pitted against Kucinich, voted for it.

A number of House members seeking a promotion to the Senate also refused to support the omnibus. Rep. Jeff Flake, the conservative Arizona Republican vying to fill retiring Sen. Jon Kyl’s (R-Ariz.) seat, voted against it, as did Florida Rep. Connie Mack (R) and North Dakota Rep. Rick Berg (R). Rep. Todd Akin (R), who is in a contested GOP primary to take on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), also voted against the bill.

But Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who hopes to fill the Senate seat that retiring Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) is vacating, voted for it.