--- title: Harry Reid and Senate Democrats Eye 2014 Wish List description: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing bills that have little chance of passage but could make for good political messaging canonical: https://time.com/38830/senate-democrats-midterm-elections-2014-harry-reid/ author: Alex Rogers article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-26T18:32:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:58:45.311Z article:section: Politics og:title: Harry Reid and Senate Democrats Eye 2014 Wish List og:description: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing bills that have little chance of passage but could make for good political messaging og:url: https://time.com/38830/senate-democrats-midterm-elections-2014-harry-reid/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Harry Reid and Senate Democrats Eye 2014 Wish List twitter:description: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing bills that have little chance of passage but could make for good political messaging twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Democrats Eye Political Wish-List of Votes > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=48fe85b9-5b65-4b19-92a9-c738342b87af&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=48fe85b9-5b65-4b19-92a9-c738342b87af&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=48fe85b9-5b65-4b19-92a9-c738342b87af&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Mar 26, 2014 6:32 PM UTC by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Mar 26, 2014 6:32 PM UTC Senate Democrats [said](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/us/politics/democrats-as-part-of-midterm-strategy-to-schedule-votes-on-pocketbook-issues.html?ref=jeremywpeters&%5Fr=0&gwh=142599D8D05F97F77292E4BD9F6DB5E6&gwt=pay) Wednesday that they’ll be introducing a wish-list of bills meant to bolster the party ahead of the midterm elections, with votes planned on legislation to increase the minimum wage, lower the burden of student debt, make child care more affordable, and strengthen manufacturing. The measures have little chance of passing the Senate and even less in the Republican-controlled House, but party leaders see them as important political messaging as they seek to keep control of the Senate. Senate Democratic leaders said their agenda, entitled “Fair Shot”—a phrased used by Democrats to drum up support for President Barack Obama since his[ first presidential campaign](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/us/politics/26text-warner.html?pagewanted=all&action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%2310&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry771%23%2Fbarack%2Bobama%2Bfair%2Bshot%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F11%2Fallauthors%2Foldest%2F)—will start with votes as early as next week. “These are not just Democratic agenda items—this is an agenda for the middle class, policies that will help ensure a fair shot for everyone,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. “Republicans here in Washington may not agree with us on all of these issues, but I hope that in the months ahead they will listen to their constituents and work with us to get things done for the middle class.” Republicans did not take the bait. While senior Senate Democrats—Reid, Dick Durbin (Ill.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Patty Murray (Wash.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.)—held a news conference in the Capitol, Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) took to the chamber floor to rip the forthcoming bills as political, election-year documents. “They’ve given up,” Cornyn said. “They’ve given up legislating and are going to spend the next several months holding a series of show votes, which are in essence those designed to highlight poll-tested messages.” “It’s politics, isn’t it?” Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) told TIME. “I think people back home are very concerned about jobs. If the Democrats want to pass something that’s going to cost the country—according to CBO, [500,000 jobs](http://www.cbo.gov/publication/44995)—then we win,” added Chambliss. Democrats, citing the same Congressional Budget Office [report](http://cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/44995-MinimumWage.pdf), say that raising the minimum wage would lift 900,000 out of poverty (out of the roughly 45 million projected to be below the poverty threshold in 2016) and increase the incomes of 16.5 million low-wage workers. The Senate Democrats’ agenda will be closely choreographed with the the White House, which abhors the thought of a Republican House and Senate during Obama’s last two years in office. Reid will plan votes to coincide with awareness-raising presidential trips, according to the [New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/us/politics/democrats-as-part-of-midterm-strategy-to-schedule-votes-on-pocketbook-issues.html?ref=jeremywpeters), which first reported on “Fair Shot,” and use the presidential bully pulpit to support the bills. The White House released a [new report](http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/03/26/new-white-house-report-impact-raising-minimum-wage-women-and-importance-) Wednesday focusing on how raising the minimum wage will benefit women. “I don’t think we’ll ever overcome the Republican attacks on Obamacare, but I think we can mute it greatly,” Schumer told the [_Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/us/politics/democrats-as-part-of-midterm-strategy-to-schedule-votes-on-pocketbook-issues.html?ref=jeremywpeters). Republicans need a net gain of six seats this November to take the majority, and are in little danger of losing their House majority. The nonpartisan _Cook Political Report_ marks five seats held by Senate Democrats as a “toss-up”—in Arkansas, Alaska, Louisiana, Michigan, and North Carolina—and three seats as “lean” or “likely” Republican—in Montana, West Virginia, and South Dakota. The only two “toss-up” seats for Republicans are held by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the retiring Chambliss. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/38830/senate-democrats-midterm-elections-2014-harry-reid/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/38830/senate-democrats-midterm-elections-2014-harry-reid/"},"headline":"Democrats Eye Political Wish-List of Votes","datePublished":"2014-03-26T18:32:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:58:45.311Z","description":"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing bills that have little chance of passage but could make for good political messaging","url":"https://time.com/38830/senate-democrats-midterm-elections-2014-harry-reid/","keywords":["2014 Election","Senate","Congress","house","Midterm Elections","Harry Reid"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Rogers","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2014-election/","name":"2014 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/38830/senate-democrats-midterm-elections-2014-harry-reid/","name":"Democrats Eye Political Wish-List of Votes"}}]}] ```