Republican Utah Senator Orrin Hatch announced this week that he would support moving the immigration reform bill out of committee, which means that the bill is one tiny step closer to a full vote.
But the twisted workings of the Senate leave the bill’s fate uncertain. Hatch himself has said he may still vote against the bill, and the compromise he secured from the Gang of Eight is unlikely to be the last one. Hatch will also not be the only Senator walking a fine line; even Gang of Eight member, Republican Marco Rubio of Florida, has had to speak carefully when talking about his thoughts on the legislation. The threat of a Tea Party primary challenge is now so great that virtually no vote is safe.
On Sunday’s Up with Steve Kornacki, Steve explained Hatch’s political evolution and what the senator’s actions on the immigration reform bill can tell us about the bill’s future and the sad state of affairs in the Senate.
Watch Up with Steve Kornacki every Saturday and Sunday at 8 AM ET.
Meredith Clark
Meredith Clark is a freelance writer and editor. She was previously a senior news producer for "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj," a reporter with MSNBC.com, the digital politics and culture editor at Glamour and a senior news and politics editor at Refinery29. She has written for Vulture, Rolling Stone, Self, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast and Bustle.