It’s more than a little disconcerting that, from a political point of view, the condition of Sen. Tim Johnson, a Democrat from South Dakota who suffered a crippling brain hemorrhage, has taken a back seat.

But nevertheless, given the configuration of the next Congress, one can’t help but consider the potential fallout.

• If Johnson dies, the Republicans will be a big winner and the Democrats a big loser. If he doesn’t make it, control of the U.S. Senate is practically guaranteed to shift back into the hands of the Republican Party, which lost control of the Senate in the midterm elections.
• If Johnson lives - even if he remains seriously impaired, the Senate will remain in the hands of the Democrats, unless he decides to resign.

To their credit, Republican leadership has taken the position that it wants to see their fallen comrade from the other side of the aisle recover and take his seat again in the next election.

For example, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the second-ranking Republican in the next Senate, said: “My expectation and hope is that Tim will recover fully and come back and we’ll go to work. You know, I’d like to be in the majority, but I don’t want to do it that way.”

While it is not certain at this point how Tom Johnson is doing, it appears that while his condition remains critical, reports suggest he is making a recovery that has been without complications.

The situation is garnering widespread interest because during the midterm elections in early November, 49 Democrats and two independents with left-leading views were left with Senate seats giving the Dems a 51-49 slim majority.

This gives Democrats the edge in a number of ways. In addition to being able, at least in theory, to control votes on issues, the majority party also chairs all Senate committees. But if Tim Johnson were to die, the Republican governor of South Dakota would name a successor. A Republican would almost certainly get the nod, squaring the most exclusive club in America at 50-50.

That total, given the Republican vice president’s authority to vote in case of a tie, would shift power back to the GOP.

Interestingly, a U.S. Senator does not have to be able to work to hold office. Unlike the presidency, which under the 25th Amendment transfers authority to the next person in the line of succession if the head of state becomes incapacitated, senators only have to be alive to hold office.

We hope Tim Johnson successfully overcomes his affliction and is able to return soon to his Senate seat. Not because he is a Democrat, but because South Dakota voters elected him to represent them. If he were a Republican, we would wish no less.