Ben Bernanke

WASHINGTON — Bolstered by a White House lobbying effort, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's chances at a second four-year term improved Monday, calming a stock market that had grown anxious over the uncertainty of his support.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., expects a vote by the end of the week, his spokesman said Monday. And David Axelrod, a top adviser to President Barack Obama, said Bernanke has the votes to keep his job.

Bernanke's brightening prospects provided the White House with a bit of good news amid political upheaval caused by simmering public anger over the economy, joblessness and bank bailouts.

The Federal Reserve, with its power to set interest rates that influence economic activity, employment and inflation, wields extraordinary influence over the lives of millions of Americans. It also plays a crucial role as the country's lender of last resort when banks can't get their money elsewhere.

Bernanke still can count on several "no" votes when the Senate takes up his confirmation. But after a surge of opposition late last week, and with many senators still undecided, the tide appeared to be turning in his favor.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, joined Democratic Sens. Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Dianne Feinstein of California in announcing support for Bernanke's reappointment. Others were quietly falling in line.

"Facing circumstances not seen since the Great Depression, he made a number of critical decisions that brought us back from the brink of economic disaster," Baucus said.

For better or worse, Bernanke has come to embody both the run-up and the response to the financial crisis that peaked in the fall of 2008. Critics blame him for not recognizing trouble signs and for being part of a massive bank bailout; advocates credit him for launching aggressive countermeasures that prevented a financial collapse.

"Chairman Bernanke helped the president and the economic team steer through some very turbulent times in rough waters," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters during his daily briefing.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who had indicated he was leaning against Bernanke, formally announced his opposition to the Fed chairman. Also Monday, the liberal MoveOn.org activist group called on senators to vote against Bernanke in an e-mail to its membership.

But momentum was moving in Bernanke's favor. Even senators who might oppose the Fed chairman said they would not attempt to block his confirmation from reaching the Senate floor. At least 60 votes are needed to overcome a procedural hold on Bernanke's confirmation placed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who has been one of his leading critics.