The Senate Just Passed The Debt Ceiling Bill In A Dramatic, Hour-Long Vote

The Senate narrowly voted to advance the House of Representatives-passed debt-ceiling increase, after Democrats spent a long time on the floor trying to wrangle more Republican votes.

In the end, the measure cleared rather easily, 67-31.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) voted to break a potential filibuster on the bill, leading to expected passage later Wednesday. Several other Republicans ended up joining them.

The Senate vote started at 1:56 p.m. ET. More than 40 minutes later, only three Republicans had supported the legislation. It needed 60 "aye" votes to advance to a final vote, which will pass with a simple majority. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tweeted her frustration during the vote:

Only 3 Rs so far willing to avoid the default of America on its obligations. Need 2 more. Sad it is this hard.

- Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) February 12, 2014

The vote ended about an hour after it started.

McConnell and Cornyn, the two highest-ranking Senate Republicans, followed the lead of House Republican leadership in providing the votes needed to advance the bill. Both McConnell and Cornyn face primary challenges this spring, and the procedural votes will almost certainly be fodder in the campaigns.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) demanded a 60-vote threshold to advance the bill, and had urged Republicans to stick together to block its passage.

You can see Republicans conferring on the floor in the middle of the vote here: