Seven of the nine most vulnerable Senate Democrats in 2012 voted Tuesday to continue the contentious practice of earmarking — a risky gamble that could haunt them in two years.

 

Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Jim Webb (D-Va.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) are all facing competitive races in 2012. Each voted to keep bringing home the bacon.

 

With out-of-control government spending motivating voters, pork-barrel projects became a top target of President Obama and congressional Republicans in the wake of Election Day. Senate Republicans adopted a non-binding earmark ban last month and House Republicans are expected to extend their own conference-wide moratorium to the entire chamber in January.

 

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) put his Senate colleagues on record Tuesday when he forced a vote on a three-year earmark moratorium. He won the support of 32 Republicans and seven Democrats — short of a victory but significantly better than previous attempts to ban earmarks.

 

Just two Democrats in competitive 2012 races — Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.) — voted for the earmark moratorium. McCaskill, a co-sponsor of Coburn’s proposal, is one of the few vulnerable Democrats willing to speak out against the practice of earmarking.

 

“We need to end earmarking,” she said in a floor speech Monday. “It’s the wrong way to spend public money. And whether it happens tomorrow or whether it happens two or three years from now, make no mistake about it, the American people are tired of it.”

 

Bill Nelson was one of four Democrats to switch his stance on earmarks from a similar vote earlier this year. He opposed a March 16 amendment by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to impose a two-year earmark moratorium.

 

The Orlando Sentinel reported that Bill Nelson’s vote indicated he was “approaching re-election very carefully” with several Republicans eyeing a challenge to the two-term Democrat.

 

Several of Bill Nelson’s colleagues apparently didn’t have the same concern. Ben Nelson, Webb and Tester are expected to be top targets of the GOP because they represent traditionally conservative-leaning states. Meanwhile, Republicans won state-wide races in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan this year, making Brown, Casey and Stabenow’s seats competitive. Machin, who easily beat a GOP challenger this November, will be up again in two years.

A total of 23 Democrats (including two independents) are up for re-election in 2012. In addition to the nine considered the most vulnerable, several others could face a test as well.