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Here Are The Seven Senate Races To Watch In 2014
Business Insider ^ | 2/18/13 | Eric Pianin

Posted on 02/16/2013 7:25:05 PM PST by randita

Here Are The Seven Senate Races To Watch In 2014

Eric Pianin, The Fiscal Times | Feb. 16, 2013, 2:00 PM

Just as the memory of the last bruising battle for control of the Senate begins to fade, political handicappers are casting their gaze to the 2014 campaign when Republicans once again will try to overcome the Democratic majority.

Just as the Republicans began the 2012 campaign cycle in strong shape to reclaim the Senate, the GOP has a clear edge heading into the next face off. While some of the most intriguing political speculation today centers on whether actress Ashley Judd will run as a Democrat to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, political analysts are focusing again on the Democrats’ substantial vulnerabilities in retaining control of the Senate in two years.

The Democrats emerged from the 2012 election with a 55 to 45 seat advantage over the Republicans, thanks in part to President Obama’s solid reelection victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney and to “stupid” gaffes made by GOP Senate contenders.

Rather than losing ground, as many political analysts  had predicted, the Democrats were able to pick up a couple of seats. 

Looking ahead to the next big battle, Democrats will once again have to scramble to retain control of the Senate as a counterweight to the Republican majority in the House. And they will have to do that without the benefit of a strong  Democratic president at the top of the ticket.

The Democrats’ predicament stems from a combination of retirements – including those of veteran Sens.  Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Tom Harkin of Iowa, and changing political fortunes that leaves them on political high alert in a dozen or more states.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 114th; 2014election; senateraces; ussenate
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To: Repeal The 17th
Virginia might be swingable. Perhaps the GOP can appease the guy who lost the Gov. primary to Cuccinelli (Holling? sp.) by supporting him in a Senate race.

Also, Baucus should face the wrath of MT voters as 0bamacare unfolds in all its gory details. Why do they keep electing a triad of corrupt Donkeys (Baucus, Tester, Schweitzer) in that 'red' state anyway?

21 posted on 02/16/2013 8:46:35 PM PST by rfp1234 (Arguing with a liberal is like playing chess with a pigeon.)
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To: randita

Left out of the excerpt, here are the states mentioned in the article title:

Alaska
Arkansas
Iowa
Louisiana
North Carolina
South Dakota
West Virginia


22 posted on 02/16/2013 8:49:07 PM PST by upchuck (America's at an awkward stage. Too late to work within the system, too early to shoot the bastards.)
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To: randita
It wasn’t his pro-life stance that sunk him. It was his idiotic remarks about rape victims not being able to become pregnant. That was just plain stupid.

he didn't say that, he said rape victims have a much lower rate of pregnancy than the average female sex partner in a "friendly" relationship....he was right!

23 posted on 02/16/2013 8:51:57 PM PST by terycarl
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To: Repeal The 17th

Josh Mandel of Ohio was a far better choice than re-electing Sherrod Brown. The Dems ran a 24/7 negative campaign against him. I saw negatives all over the internet and they were run non-stop on tv and radio. Josh didn’t seem to do much ad campaigns - so his name wasn’t as recognizable.


24 posted on 02/16/2013 8:53:20 PM PST by Catsrus
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To: randita

When the media goes after Rubio for taking a drink of water, you can be sure nomatter what any republican says or does it will be seen as “career ending”.


25 posted on 02/16/2013 9:05:05 PM PST by icwhatudo (Low taxes and less spending in Sodom and Gomorrah is not my idea of a conservative victory)
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To: terycarl

He did say they couldn’t get pregnant...and Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house. I know this to be true because the media repeated it over and over.


26 posted on 02/16/2013 9:09:43 PM PST by icwhatudo (Low taxes and less spending in Sodom and Gomorrah is not my idea of a conservative victory)
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To: icwhatudo

Baucus the guy that was bragging about writing Obamacare was later asked a question about it and said he didn’t read it

I hope the people of Montana can throw him out

He’s already running ads...must be a little worried that their new affordable care will get them thinking


27 posted on 02/16/2013 9:11:34 PM PST by Old Griz
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To: dadfly
win or lose that’s a win in my book, if it saves one unborn life.

To me the part about saving one unborn life is key. I don't know Mr. Akin nor do I know what is in his heart, but I do know that his incompetent campaign resulted in the loss of one of the most winnable Senate seats in 2012. It can be argued that the way he conducted his campaign become a drag on, or at least a distraction for, other Senate candidates as well as the Presidential campaign. Since the only real influence the Senate has on the abortion issue is in confirming Supreme Court nominees, it is quite likely that he contributed more to continuation of legalized abortion than to stopping it.

28 posted on 02/16/2013 9:34:41 PM PST by etcb
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To: Repeal The 17th

YES! Thad Cochran is begging to be primaried. This SOB is the traitor that wanted to vote yes on Islamo-mole Hagel. How’s the Tea Party in Mississippi looking? Can we put bad Thad on political ice? I notice Johanns is also up for reelection. Let’s stick a fork in him too.


29 posted on 02/16/2013 11:38:47 PM PST by Viennacon
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To: etcb

we’re not in the same universe. i’m guessing your one of the attackers who tried to sink akin from the get go. i’m so proud i was one stood by him all the way. in fact, i did zero for romney while my main effort outside of walker and wisconsin in 2012 was to support akin when nobody else in the r-party establishment would.

just a very few assertions which i can support with hard evidence will serve to impeach your argument.

the GOP-e in missouri was and is a mess. and not only withdrew all support for akin but actively tried to destroy his campaign. in otherwords they wanted him to lose.

the big cities in missouri are very leftist. and they love mccaskill. akin had a very hard road to go.

the libertarian leftists are very big and militant in that state. they took a big chunk of grass roots support away from a God fearing conservative like akin.

nationally, conservative senate canditates did far better as a group then all of the rest GOP-e establishment candidates. so is your argument that conservatives only drag down liberal republicans while helping themselves. i’d like to hear a justification of that. the whole r party was basically dragged down by romney, who of course, instead of providing immediate aid and support as any top of the ticket candidate should have, he immediately attacked akin, along with the other GOP vampires like rove, after his clumsily worded but correct defense of the unborn.

aside from all that, imo, it is better to go down with a truely conservative, God fearing, candidate, than to win with a leftist republican in *any* election at any level. examples abound. look at damage boehner, mcarthy, or mccain, graham, kirk, murkowski, snowe, et al are doing to the nation and what is left of the r-party.

akin damaged the unborn? you think a romneyite would have helped the unborn? only twisted, leftist thinking could make that case. akin raised the issue to national attention when the GOP-e wanted to bury it. attention can only help the unborn. that is why the abortionists want to keep it secret.

and even if your case made perfect sense to me, our Lord demands that we do the right thing as He gives us the wisdom to see it. not the expedient thing given the circumstance He provides. ends are never justified by immoral means and our Lord will not support us as individuals or as a covenanted people if we compromise with evil.


30 posted on 02/16/2013 11:44:45 PM PST by dadfly
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To: ansel12
Palin gave us our only bright spots, our only Senate seat pick-up with Deb Fischer, and Ted Cruz of Texas, the disaster of Mitt Romney gave us Obama, cost us the Senate, and seems to have put the GOP on the verge of splintering as he undermined their platform, and branded them in the worst way possible.

And yet, all people can harp on is Akin and Mourdock in this election and Angle and O'Donnell in the last. What ever fits the GOP establishment's agenda of misinformation. What is really sad is FReepers who willingly fall right in line. Makes one wonder just where their allegiances lie.

31 posted on 02/17/2013 12:20:40 AM PST by upsdriver ( Palin/West '16)
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To: randita
No more Todd Akins, please!

Agreed!

32 posted on 02/17/2013 12:34:03 AM PST by nutmeg (Who and WHERE are the Benghazi survivors??)
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To: randita

And much as I despise McCaskill, her support to Akin was a brilliant strategy. You’re in a good situation when you can select your opponent.


33 posted on 02/17/2013 3:15:57 AM PST by ScottinVA (Gun control: Steady firm grip, target within sights, squeeze the trigger slowly...)
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To: randita

After the widespread voter fraud in the last election, I am pessimistic that there will be any “close” elections for the Democrats.


34 posted on 02/17/2013 4:41:01 AM PST by EmilyGeiger
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To: randita

I like the odds for defeating the Communist Party (Dem) candidates. These seven picks are from Larry Sabato apparently — a point buried deep in the story. Makes you wonder about today’s journalists. Someone seems to be trying to take credit for someone else’s analysis.


35 posted on 02/17/2013 4:59:10 AM PST by WashingtonSource
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To: randita

Every GOP candidate will be given the Todd Akin treatment by the media because they saw how quickly the fools within the GOP were willing to turn on their own candidates.


36 posted on 02/17/2013 5:10:18 AM PST by Uncle Chip
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To: dadfly
aside from all that, imo, it is better to go down with a truely conservative, God fearing, candidate, than to win with a leftist republican in *any* election at any level. examples abound. look at damage boehner, mcarthy, or mccain, graham, kirk, murkowski, snowe, et al are doing to the nation and what is left of the r-party.

You've got to be kidding! NONE of those mentioned voted for Obamacare, which mandates that institutions provide contraceptive care even if that is against their religious tenets. ALL the Democrats voted for Obamacare.

If we had had just ONE more GOP Senator, the abomination that is Obamacare would never have passed.

When you can't have the whole loaf of bread, it's better to have half of it. At least then your children don't starve to death.

37 posted on 02/17/2013 5:19:46 AM PST by randita
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To: Hostage

I didn’t buy into anything. I heard Akin verbatim and I concluded that he was amazingly ignorant and sounded very callous toward rape victims.

The trap is always set for conservative candidates. That’s just the way it is. In order to win, a GOP candidate has to be clever enough to know the trap might be there and be prepared to avoid it.

Reality bites sometimes, but it’s what it is.


38 posted on 02/17/2013 5:25:31 AM PST by randita
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To: upsdriver

Akin and Mourdock became national poster children for the trumped up “War on Women”.

Their ineptitude impacted negatively on races all across the nation.

My allegiance lies with keeping the House and gaining the Senate in 2014. Going down with sinking candidates does little to advance those goals.

Conservatives CAN win. But they have to be smart, canny, and prepared. The GOP needs to do a much better job preparing candidates to respond to the inevitable land mines they’re going to have to negotiate.


39 posted on 02/17/2013 5:34:07 AM PST by randita
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To: randita

2014 senators up for re-election


40 posted on 02/17/2013 5:35:40 AM PST by quintr
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