Election-Year Senate Vote Nears On Minimum Wage

ALAN FRAM – APRIL 28, 2014, 8:02 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Win or lose — and they'll probably lose — Democrats hope this week's Senate showdown over raising the federal minimum wage reaps them benefits in November's congressional elections.

Whether they'll get an Election Day payoff is uncertain.

In a Senate vote expected Wednesday, Republicans seem likely to block the Democratic measure, which would gradually raise today's $7.25 hourly minimum, reaching $10.10 as soon as 2016. Even if the bill, one of President Barack Obama's top priorities, somehow survives in the Senate, it stands little chance of even getting a vote in the GOP-run House.

Who would the proposal most directly affect? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women and young people make up disproportionate portions of the 3.3 million people who earned $7.25 or less last year. Both groups traditionally skew Democratic, and the party would love to drive them to the polls in November as it battles to retain Senate control.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/election-year-senate-vote-nears-on-minimum-wage