Democrats: More senators, less agreement

WASHINGTON, May 15 (UPI) -- Democratic leaders in the U.S. Senate are finding that their big caucus is an ideologically diverse one with no guarantees of support from all its members.

The party's majority is now 59-40. If former "Saturday Night Live" star Al Franken wins the Minnesota race -- now held up in court -- the Democrats will have the magic 60 senators needed to break a filibuster, but only if everyone gets in line.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the majority whip, told Politico that even 60 votes does not mean the party can win on hot-button issues like gun control.

"They should not take anything for granted," Durbin said. "People keep saying, 'Wow, if you get Senator Franken up in Minnesota, everything is going to be fine -- you'll be at 60.' I've never said that, I know, because I face these senators every day, and I know that each of them has their own mind."

This week, two freshmen, Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and Mark Warner, D-Va., showed that they do not agree with the party line on gun control. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said that he will not vote to confirm Dawn Johnson to a key position in the Department of Justice because of her history with a abortion rights group -- and that he is unsure whether he would vote to end a filibuster on the issue.