"Washington experience or experience in elected office in Washington is not necessarily the ticket to the U.S. Senate it has been in the past," said Chris LaCivita, a Republican strategist.

U.S. House members who are trying to make the step up to the Senate this year are finding themselves on the defensive about Washington experience that traditionally has been a big asset.

Tony Clark, the chairman of North Dakota's Public Service Commission, won U.S. Senate confirmation late Thursday for a spot on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Two Democrats in the past two days have shunned President Obama.

Last year's intrachamber battles over spending for Congressional operations focused on the Capitol Police and Government Accountability Office budgets; this year's fight could be over restoring the aging Capitol Dome. Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, told Roll Call in separate interviews that they were looking for ways to fund the second phase of the Capitol Dome restoration project in their fiscal 2013 spending bill.