Nightly News   |  January 26, 2013

Harwood: 2014 could be tough for Democrats

With the retirements of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia, the Senate becomes increasingly “fresh,” says CNBC’s John Harwood, and eager to shake things up.

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>>> a big announcement in politics tonight. senator tom harkin says he'll step aside when his term ends at the end of 2014 . the iowa democrat has served in the senate for almost three decades. he is the latest among prominent members of congress who have said they've had enough. we're joined by cnbc's chief washington correspondent john harwood . is this a reflection of the dysfunction in congress or are we looking at folks who face tough re-election battles?

>> reporter: a little bit of both. history tells us 2014 will be a difficult year for democrats. that influenced several. including harkin and rockefeller. saxby chambliss may have faced a primary challenge. you also can't overlook the effects of age. both rockefeller and harken are over 70 years old. chambliss would be over 70 by the time of the 2014 election.

>> is there the potential for a fundamental change in ideology in both houses?

>> reporter: not a fundamental change in ideology, but you do see the senate becoming somewhat fresher. already 60 out of a hundred senators, when barack obama came in 2005 or later, and fresh members of the senate are more impatient with the dysfunction of the place. we saw some of the effects this past week with the agreement among republicans and democrats to slightly streamline filibuster procedures.

>> all right. john harwood good to have you on with us tonight. thanks.