Biden pick is not likely to impact Senate power

Barack Obama's selection of Delaware's Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate should not have a major impact on control of the U.S. Senate.

Currently Democrats have a 51-49 seat advantage and are hoping to expand that to a filibuster proof majority of 60 seats with victories in November. While Democrats are expected to pick up some seats, getting to 60 is looking very hard.

It is unlikely, however, that Democrats will lose control of Biden's seat in the Senate if he and Barack Obama take the White House.

In the immediate term nothing politically is expected to change in his Delaware seat. Biden, who is up for re-election this year, faces nominal competition from television pundit Christine O' Donnell.

A spokeswoman for Delaware's Board of Elections said this week that Biden can run concurrently for both the Senate and vice president, just like Joe Lieberman did in 2008.

If Obama and Biden win, or if Biden resigns from the Senate, Delware's governor would appoint a successor.

Delaware does have a gubernatorial election this year to fill the spot of Democratic Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who is term-limited. In that race two Democrats will face off in a September primary before they take on Republican Bill Lee, who in 2004 only lost to Minner 51 percent to 46 percent. That said, both Democratic candidates - a lieutenant governor and the state treasurer - have been elected statewide, Lee has not and this is a Democratic state.

The Delaware constitution states that the next governor will be sworn in on Jan. 20, the same day Biden could be sworn in as Vice President.

But, who the next Delaware governor would be is irrelevant. Even if Lee, the Republican, wins, Biden could resign his seat in December and let Minner either put herself in the Senate or appoint another Democrat.

There is precedent for this situation. In 1988 Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle resigned his Senate seat in December, a month before he was sworn in as vice president. By doing so he let out-going Republican Gov. Bob Orr appoint his replacement before a Democrat was sworn into office. That Democrat was none other than Evan Bayh, who was also on the short-list for the spot Biden just took.