Bernanke Reconfirmation Tally: Yes=53, No=20, Undecided=27

The latest Dow Jones survey on how Senators might vote for Ben Bernanke’s reappointment to another term as Fed chairman shows 53 yes votes, 20 no votes, and 27 undecided or didn’t respond to poll. Deliberations are expected to start shortly, and vote could come today. Bernanke’s term expires January 31, and if he wasn’t confirmed by then for any reason, Fed vice chairman Donald Kohn is the likely candidate for interim chairman. According to the WSJ, Bernanke is now only seven votes shy of the 60 needed to “overcome a potential filibuster in the procedural vote. The final vote would require only a majority for the Fed chairman to be confirmed again.”