President Barack Obama listens to a question during a news conference at the end of
the G20 Summit in Cannes, France November 4, 2011. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Posted on 11/05/2011 10:29:24 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Virginia's state Senate elections next week are shaping up as an early signal for President Barack Obama ahead of national elections next year.
Republicans have a strong shot at taking control of the state Senate from Democrats on Tuesday, political analysts said. A win would put state government solidly in Republican hands in an important swing state, and mark a sharp turnaround from 2008, when Obama became the first Democrat to win Virginia since 1964.
Political analysts said loss of the 40-seat state Senate to Republicans would be a bad sign for Obama as he seeks to win Virginia and its 13 electoral votes next year.
In 2009 Republicans won the governorship, previously held by a Democrat, and increased their majority in the House of Delegates. A Senate majority would complete Republican control of the state.
"I think the odds are strongly in favor of the Republicans taking control of the Senate," said Mark Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University.
"It is a very key, important state, and political observers around the country will be watching Virginia as an important bellwether."
Underscoring the state's significance, Obama toured Virginia last month, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has visited a northern Virginia campaign office, and former President Bill Clinton held a campaign fund-raiser for Democratic state Senate candidates.
The Democrats now control the Senate by a 22-18 margin. Although local issues such as gun control, traffic jams and education dominate the races, some Republican candidates have made Obama and his handling of the sluggish national economy an issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
another litmus test for the 2012 general election. Oh Goody.
The bad news for every DEm up from now on and November 2012..
Obama is on the ballot right along side them.
President Barack Obama listens to a question during a news conference at the end of
the G20 Summit in Cannes, France November 4, 2011. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ALLEN! Kaine is a scumbag
media may try to focus on a big democrat governor win in Kentucky and what happens in NJ legislature results.
I guess the 2010 elections didn’t count?
Anything you got out of the 2010 elections...is just history. It’s a pretty bad sign if the state goes substantially over to the Republican party. The President would have barely twelve months to work on some solution that makes Virginia voters happy, and I just don’t see that happening.
I don’t typically vote in these state elections, because I don’t know the first damn thing about the candidates. This time, my wife and I are just going to go in, vote straight Republican, and leave. Mostly a protest vote, like last year.
Yes, the GOP will take the Vir. Senate and the next day the MSM will say it means nothing, Obama is still the most popular president since Washington.
Virginia is not a swing state. Virginia is a GOP state that rarely votes Dim in a national election.
Losing Teddy’s seat was a signal too, but ...
I thought Virginia was a GOP state until they went for Obama in 2008. Now I am not so sure. I’m not sure the rapidly spreading NoVa cancer has not malignantly infected its host. I am terrified for a purple Virginia as DC rapidly expands and more of those evil vermin take up residence in NoVa.
Anyway, prayers up for the Commonweath. Obama is a one-term wonder who is going to be slaughtered in the 2012 election.
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