Scott Brown will vote Yes on DADT repeal

By Greg Sargent

Gettin' closer.

Senator Scott Brown will vote Yes on the stand-alone bill to repeal don't ask don't tell when Harry Reid brings it up for a vote on Saturday, Brown's spokesperson confirms to me, putting the count of definite yes votes at 59, one away from the magic number of 60.

"Senator Brown will vote for a clean repeal bill when it comes up for a vote," Brown's spox, Gail Gitcho, emails.

Though Senator Brown had already come out in favor of repeal, it was not certain that he would vote Yes on the cloture vote -- a key distinction. Keep in mind that Brown voted No on the defense authorization bill containing DADT repeal, even though he'd already said he favored ending the policy.

Brown, like the 41 other GOP Senators, had signed Mitch McConnell's letter insisting that Republicans would oppose all Dem initiatives pending resolution of the standoffs over tax cuts and funding the government. The government funding fight has not been resolved, meaning we still don't know for certain whether moderate GOPers who say they support repeal will actually vote for it. They could also mount other last-minute procedural objections.

But Brown is now a definite Yes. Fifty-seven senators voted Yes on repeal last time, so presuming Blanche Lincoln is not holed up in a dentist's chair, and votes for repeal, that puts the definite Yes vote count at 59. Senators Olympia Snowe and Lisa Murkowski have both said they support repeal, but we still don't have them on record saying they will definitely vote Yes on Saturday. Richard Lugar and perhaps John Ensign are also both in play.

Gettin' closer.

UPDATE, 10:44 a.m.: Actually, The Hill reported yesterday that Senator Murkowski confirmed she will vote Yes on the stand-alone bill. By my count, if you include Lincoln, that puts the definite Yes vote count at 60.

UPDATE, 11:28 a.m.: And Senator Murkowski's spox confirms to TPM this morning that she's a definite Yes vote. That's helpful, because the Hill story was paraphrased.

