The U.S. Senate primary between incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran and tea party challenger Chris McDaniel remains too close to call after the June 3 election date.

If neither candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be scheduled for June 24.

The race was considered one of the few remaining chances for a tea party victory after a string of primary challenges ended in defeat.

You can listen to today’s live broadcast of the U.S. Senate Hearing on campaign finance, “Examining a Constitutional Amendment to Restore Democracy to the American People” on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary website.

Panel I will feature U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and U.S. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Panel II will feature North Carolina State Senator Floyd B. McKissick, Jr., Floyd Abrams, Partner Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, and Jamie Raski, Professor of Law and Director of the Law and Government Program at American University, Washington College of Law.

The streaming broadcast will be available at 10:30 a.m.

During a Rules Committee hearing, the U.S. Senate considered a bill requiring senators to file electronically with the Federal Election Commission, just as members of the House of Representatives and presidential candidates do. The bill, called the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act, was sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and received support from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

For full news coverage, be sure to read:

“Senate considers entering digital age for campaign filings” by Susan Davis in USA Today.

“Schumer: Senators should file campaign reports electronically” by Tom Brune in Newsday.

Image of the Seal of the United States Senate by Ipankonin on Wikipedia.

For full news coverage, be sure to read:

“STOCK Act passes: Insider trading ban heads to Obama” by Scott Wong in Politico.

“Lawmakers hit bipartisan note following STOCK Act passage” by Peter Schroeder in The Hill.

One of the pages of the U.S. Senate Web site lets you have a seat at the Senate Chamber desks. Rich with artistry and history, the Senate Chamber Desks site is smart a virtual tour.

Following the “Burning of Washington” in the War of 1812, in which the U.S. Capitol Building was partially damaged, there was a re-building of the Capitol. The new Senate Chamber needed to be refurnished, so in 1818  Vice President Daniel Tompkins hired cabinet-maker Thomas Constantine to construct 48 mahogany desks and armchairs:

“The Senate purchased 48 mahogany desks for its chamber in 1819, adding desks as new states joined the Union. To date, more than 1,600 senators have occupied these historic desks.”

The desks have been altered over the years to meet the senators’ needs. Writing boxes were added to the top of the desks. Microphones and speakers underneath were added in the 1990s to assist senators in hearing the floor proceedings.

On the Senate Chamber Desks Web site, you can find out about how the desks are numbered, and how the seating arrangement is decided with the beginning of each new Congress.

The history you will find here is priceless: There is the time during the Civil War that Isaac Bassett (who worked in the Senate Chamber) had to stop Federal soldiers from chopping Jefferson Davis’ desk to bits for being a traitor. Did you know that many senators have been carving their names in the desk drawers since the early 1900s? One inscription in the desk of South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond noted that he “spoke 24 hrs. 18 mins. from this desk in 1957,” commemorating his record-breaking filibuster against the Civil Rights Act.

There is also the fun and famous “Candy Desk,” a tradition started in 1965 by Senator George Murphy of California as a service to his fellow senators. According to the site, the tradition has carried on: “In every Congress since that time a candy desk has been located in the back row of the Republican side, on the aisle and adjacent to the Chamber’s most heavily used entrance.”

Enjoy this look into the Senate Chamber! And with that I bid you good day.
The photos used here are courtesy of the U.S. Senate Web site.

For the time being, the Supreme Court’s ruling stands. Another vote is thought possible in September after Congress returns from the August recess.

Here are three articles for further reading:

“Senate Dems lack votes to overcome Republican filibuster of Disclose Act,” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

“Dems table campaign finance reform,” by Meredith Shiner in Politico.

“Bill on political ad disclosures falls a little short in Senate,” by Dan Eggen in the Washington Post.

The measure will come to a vote on the floor of the Senate early next week. Reid’s move begins the endgame for the legislation even though he does not yet have the votes to overcome the anticipated filibuster from the bill’s opponents.

New York Senator Charles Schumer, who authored S. 3295, the Senate’s version of the DISCLOSE Act, has modified the bill to address concerns raised when H.R. 5175 was passed by the House earlier this summer. Democrats hope the changes will be enough to win the support of Maine GOP Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of whom expressed reservations regarding the House bill. For example, Senator Collins believes H.R. 5175 provides unions with special exemptions and a corresponding unfair political advantage over corporations.

It is unclear at this time whether or not changes to the Senate bill offered by Schumer will be enough to overcome Collins’ and Snowe’s objections. The Senate vote could come as early as Tuesday.

If you are looking for more coverage, the Hill has two articles by Susan Crabtree:

“Schumer files new version of campaign-finance bill to court centrist votes,” July 22, 2010

“Sen. Reid sets up showdown next week on campaign finance,” July23, 2010