The 14 Senate Republicans Who Voted for Gun Control

They’re an interesting bunch, with a couple of (minor) surprises mixed in. What nearly all of them have in common is that they’re not on the ballot this fall. Of the 14, only two will face voters in November. And as I’ll explain in a moment, the circumstances those two are facing are special.
Republicans voting to advance the bipartisan gun package:BLUNTBURRCAPITOCASSIDYCOLLINSCORNYNERNSTGRAHAMMCCONNELLMURKOWSKIPORTMANROMNEYTILLIS YOUNG
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) June 22, 2022

Two are the chief negotiators on the bill, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, neither of whom will face voters again until 2026. Three of the gang are retiring and have nothing to fear from voters — — Blunt, Burr, and Portman. Several others are either centrists or have shown flashes of centrism before, making their support less surprising — Capito, Cassidy, Collins, Murkowski, Romney, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Lindsey Graham. Five of those six aren’t up for reelection either.
The surprises are the senators who represent rural red states and typically vote the conservative line — Joni Ernst of Iowa and Todd Young of Indiana. Ernst is a member of leadership, though, and may have felt pulled to give Cornyn a vote of confidence. She won’t face voters for another four years. Youn …