A lot of readers are mentioning Robert Byrd in response to the post below about Frank Lautenberg.
But it’s worth noting that West Virginia’s governor, Democrat Joe Manchin, would appoint any replacement for Byrd. In all likelihood, that would be another Democrat, and have no impact on the partisan composition in the Senate. A Republican might have a healthy shot in any race for the seat the following November, but that depends on the candidates . . .