Washington ? Senate Democrats delivered the first of several promised election-year jobs bills Wednesday, passing a measure blending highway funding eagerly sought by the states with tax breaks for companies that hire unemployed workers.

The bipartisan 70-28 vote to pass the bill sends it to the House, where many Democrats say it is too puny — but where pressure is on to pass it this week anyway to score a badly needed win for President Barack Obama and a Democratic Party that’s dropped badly in opinion polls and faces major losses in midterm elections.

It’s the first major bill to pass the Senate since the Christmas Eve passage of a deeply controversial health care bill and the subsequent election of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, which rocked Democrats by demonstrating their falling standing even among voters who tend to vote Democratic.