Vice President Harris breaks nearly 200-year-old record for Senate tiebreaker votes, casts her 32nd

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has set the record for the most Senate tiebreaker votes, topping a nearly 200-year-old mark by casting her 32nd to help confirm a new federal judge in Washington, D.C. The previous recordholder was John C. Calhoun, who cast 31 tiebreaker votes during his eight years as vice president, from 1825 to 1832. Harris tied Calhoun’s record in July and broke it Tuesday (Dec. 5, 2023). Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls the fellow Democrat’s vote a “great milestone.” Casting tiebreaker votes is among the only constitutional duties for vice presidents. Harris has been repeatedly called on to break deadlocks because the Senate is so closely divided between Democrats and Republicans.