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Stimulus Compromise Overcomes Senate Filibuster, 61-36

As expected, the Republican attempt to block a vote on the Collins-Nelson Amendment to the stimulus package has failed, with Republicans Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter joining the 58-member Democratic caucus to invoke cloture.

It’s not surprising that Snowe, Collins and Specter were the three Republicans to support the measure, as they have voted with the President the most frequently of any Republican Senators to date. Collins, Snowe and Specter are also three of the four Republican Senators to come from states that Barack Obama won by at least 10 points (the other is Nevada’s John Ensign).

Republican Senators from Obama States (Margin of Victory in Parenthesis)

Collins    Maine         17.3
Snowe Maine 17.3

Ensign Nevada 12.5
Specter Pennsylvania 10.3
Gregg New Hampshire 9.6
Grassley Iowa 9.5
Voinovich Ohio 4.5
Martinez Florida 2.8
Lugar Indiana 1.0
Burr North Carolina 0.3

Final passage of both the Collins-Nelson amendment and the underlying bill are expected tomorrow.

Nate Silver is the founder and editor in chief of FiveThirtyEight.

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