The chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), has signed the letter urging leadership to pass a public option via reconciliation. He is the 20th senator to do so.
The letter also gained the backing of former DNC Chair Howard Dean’s group, Democracy for America. In a fund-raising email to supporters, Dean praises the letter as a renewed, serious push for the public option.
“We’re back on offense with the momentum on our side,” he wrote.
The letter, written by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), also has 119 signatures from House members.
Passing a measure by reconciliation would require 50 votes.
